Sound of Silence
by Ms. Zeal
Summary: COMPLETE! Post Life of Royalty. Zidane fit quite nicely in his new role helping Steiner give the cadets hands-on training in the field. But the new king can never seem to stay out of trouble for very long...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Beatrix saluted as the Queen entered the hallway, Count Bushaw following behind her.

"We'll iron out all the finer details and send the final copy to you for your approval sometime next week," the count was saying.

"Everything seems to be in order," the Queen replied, turning to face him. "I trust you can take care of any other problems that arise?"

"Yes, of course. I shall attend to the matters personally," he replied, bowing. "However, I couldn't help but notice the King's absence," he continued. "He's not taken ill, I hope?"

"The King?" Dagger repeated, slightly taken aback. Zidane's presence wasn't needed, so she didn't think an excuse for him would be needed. She hesitated a moment, not able to come up with a plausible explanation on the spot. "Beatrix?" she said at last, turning to the lady general. "Where is the King?"

"His Majesty is...currently overseeing the training of the knights," the General supplied smoothly.

"Ah, yes, that was today, wasn't it?" the Queen replied, silently thanking Beatrix for her quick thinking. She laughed lightly. "With so many other things going on, I had forgotten."

"I see," said the Count. "Please give him my regards. Well, as Your Majesty is rather busy, I'll see myself out. Thank you for your time," he continued, bowing low.

Once he was gone, Beatrix turned to her queen. "That could have been handled better, Your Majesty," she stated.

Dagger put a hand to her eyes. "I know. I need to be more careful. I should have known that someone might ask after Zidane and I should have prepared an excuse beforehand. I'm sorry to have pushed it off on you. My mind simply went blank when he asked and..." She shrugged helplessly. "He was here to discuss the terms of a trade agreement, I didn't think Zidane would even enter the conversation."

The General shook her head. "You are the Queen. You need not explain yourself to anyone."

"But, too many evasions will make people suspicious. Zidane and I have not been married for that long, after all. Queen or not, the entire court would be up in arms if they knew who he really was." She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Thank you for covering for me."

"Not at all, Your Majesty."

" 'Over-seeing the training of the knights...' " she repeated, smiling. "I wonder what the count's reaction would have been if he knew exactly how much of a 'hands-on' approach the King likes to take..."

** . . . **

Zidane sneezed, almost losing his grip on the stone wall he had been climbing. Zackary Allen raised an eyebrow, extending a hand to help the blonde onto more level ground. "All right, sir?" he asked.

"Yeah, someone must be talking about me," Zidane replied, tail twitching as he rubbed his nose. His expression fell as he sighed dramatically. "But, what can you do? It's not my fault I was cursed with a wonderful personality and good looks to go with it."

Zack rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "If you say so, sir."

"Hey!"

"So, that's the 'back door' to Gizamaluke's Grotto?" he asked, changing the subject. "Any reason why you didn't want to use the front one?"

Zidane shrugged and began walking through the trees. "No reason in particular. They're good people, don't get me wrong, but they tend to get hung up on details like passes and permissions and all that other border stuff. I don't want to actually _cross _into Burmecia-"

"Despite the fact that we are currently standing on Burmecian soil," Zack interjected.

"Hey, _I_ didn't put the entrance on this side of the mountain range. Besides, I just wanted to give that moogle a kupo nut. He seems to like them so much..."

"The item he gives you in return doesn't hurt, I suppose."

The blonde grinned, holding up the brightly colored shirt that had _Aloha!_ printed across the front. "You can't _get_ these anywhere else in the _world!_ Trust me on that."

"And, you would actually _want_ something like that because...?" Zack trailed off, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Zidane turned his nose up, making a show of folding the shirt and putting it back in his pack. "You're just jealous because he gave it to me and not you."

"Whatever you say, sir."

The blonde's response was cut off by a loud _screech_. "You put on that Rosetta Ring and Survival Vest that I gave you, right?" he asked scanning the trees around them.

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Zidane's eyes landed on a brightly colored bird heading their way. "Alright, rookie," he said, grinning as he patted Zack on the back. "You're up."

Zack stumbled a bit as the blonde pushed him forward. Quickly regaining his footing, he drew his sword and looked at the bird fluttering in front of him. _It doesn't look that tough,_he thought.

The garuda got in the first move, flapping its wings out of sync before bringing them together as it cast a spell. Flames sprang forth at Zack's feet and exploded upward, startling the soldier as he was encased in a blazing inferno. The Rosetta Ring on his finger shone brightly, turning the deadly heat of the fire into soothing warmth that invigorated him.

Feeling even more confident than before, Zack ran forward with his sword raised, intent on ending the battle quickly. He leapt, slashing at the bird only to have it deftly evade. He turned, surprised to see the garuda already some distance away and casting another spell. A large clock face appeared around him, turning gray as it came to a stop. His movement was restricted only for an instant before the Survival Vest seemed to glow, negating the spell's effect.

"Remember what I told you- garudas attack almost exclusively from a distance and rely heavily on magic. You have to get in close to do any real damage!" Zidane called from the sidelines.

Zack nodded before closing the distance between himself and his foe once more. He attacked again, no longer assuming this could be a one-hit kill. Again and again, the bird nimbly evaded each and every strike. He finally saw his chance when the avian brought both wings in front of itself, as if to hide from the world. It hovered impossibly in midair for a moment and Zack brought his sword down again. However, before his hit could land, the bird suddenly reared back and brought its wings forward in a slicing motion. Two shock waves slammed into the knight-in-training, throwing him back against a tree. He groaned softly as he slid down the trunk.

_This isn't going how I had envisioned it at all,_ he grumbled, gingerly picking himself up off the ground. The garuda was casting a spell again. He raised his sword as the winds seemed to pick up, swirling around like a mini tornado with him at the eye of the storm. Although nothing actually touched him, he could feel the energy being drained out of him and he gasped at losing so much so quickly. When it finally stopped, he was kneeling on the ground, barely able to move at all. It took a tremendous effort to lift his gaze, noting that the blasted bird was casting yet another spell.

It brought its wings forward once more and Zack was helpless to do anything but watch as the shock waves raced towards him. Suddenly, the bird was blocked from view as Zidane used his own body to shield him from the attack.

"You alright there, Zack?" he asked.

"I've...been better," the knight-in-training panted.

The blonde nodded, turning back to the garuda. He fell into a ready stance before sprinting towards the monster. The bird cast another spell, squawking in surprise as the fire magic missed while Zidane's dagger found its mark.

Cleaning the blade on the feathers, Zidane almost casually retrieved his discarded pack, fishing out several potions. He helped Zack drink the first few until the soldier was strong enough to do it by himself. The blonde made himself comfortable on the grass, waiting for his companion to recover enough to move on.

Zack stared morosely into the vial as he swished the blue liquid around. "That was embarrassing," he said, refusing to meet his superior's eye. "I thought I had improved a lot more than that."

"You've come a long way," Zidane stated, pillowing his head with his arms as he stared up at the leafy canopy. "You can't judge your progress by one fight. Let me do that."

"You always make it look so easy. And I..." The soldier shook his head. "I haven't landed a single hit in the two days we've been out here."

"Look, it wasn't a fair fight to begin with. None of them have been. I told you they wouldn't be when we started. These monsters are a challenge for skilled warriors."

"Not for you," was the sullen reply.

The blonde shrugged. "I'm a bit of an exception."

"But, still..."

Zidane propped himself up on one elbow, looking at his trainee. "I know it's not easy. And, this is probably the most humiliating way to go about improving your skills. But, it's also the fastest way. Everyone had to start somewhere and I can honestly say that it took me months to make the progress on my own that you have made in the last two days. But, if this is too hard, we can always go back now," he stated, shrugging his shoulders.

"No! No, I- I can do it," Zack said quickly, rising to his feet.

The blonde gazed at him appraisingly for a moment before smiling. "That's the spirit. Let's go," he said, standing.

They continued walking, coming to the outskirts of the forest. "Alright," Zidane began, "Rusty wanted us to scout around the Zamo and Gunitas Basins, so we'll head back there first."

"Um, sir?" Zack began, looking around. "The chocobo's gone."

The blonde whipped his head around, noting the golden bird was nowhere in sight. "That's odd," he murmured, folding his arms. "Choco always stays where I leave him... Unless..." He let the sentence trail off, looking at Zack. "Choco wouldn't have left unless there was a monster harassing him. It's likely still in the area. Hopefully, it's just another garuda."

"And...if it's not?" Zack asked, not quite sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"If it's not, then we may have a problem." A loud roar punctuated Zidane's statement and he quickly glanced around. "Do you still have that Coral Ring I gave you?" he asked.

Zack started digging in his pockets, desperately trying to find the item in question. "It's here somewhere!"

"Never mind, go hide in the trees and don't come out, no matter what happens."

"But, sir-!"

Zidane grabbed Zack's shoulder, forcing the soldier to meet his unusually serious gaze. "I mean it. _Do not come out_ until I say." Zack hesitated and the blonde gripped his shoulder tighter. "This is _not_ open for discussion!"

"Yes, sir," he said, obviously not liking the order.

"Good. Now, go," the blonde commanded. He heard the heavy body land behind him just as Zack made it to the relatively safe confines of the trees. Raising his daggers, Zidane turned and lunged at the grand dragon as it roared again.

** . . . **

**To Be Continued**

The next chapter will be posted on Monday. If you would like a response to your review, please sign in or leave an email address.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Zack woke slowly, feeling like someone was tap dancing inside his skull. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times as they adjusted to the light filtering in through the dirty window and looked around. He was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room, an old dresser and a rocking chair sitting off to one side. _Where am I? _he wondered, carefully sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed. A wave of nausea washed over him and it took a moment or two before his stomach settled down once more. _And how did I get here?_

"No way!" Zidane's voice filtered through the closed door.

"I'm telling ya, it's true. My son dated her when they were younger. Proposed, too, but she was already moving up in the ranks by then. Didn't want no distractions," an older male voice stated.

"_Beatrix?_" Zidane repeated, laughing.

"She wasn't always such a cold fish, ya know," the second voice replied. "Why, I remember when she used to come a visit us, wearing that frilly purple sundress she loved so much and as dainty as the flowers she loved to pick. Quite the prim and proper girl, too; don't know what made her take up the sword..."

Confused even more by the random conversation, Zack followed the voices to what appeared to be the kitchen. Zidane seemed to have made himself at home, sitting backwards on a chair at the table and gesturing animatedly with his cup. An old man, hair gray and back bent with age, sat across from him, just as engrossed in the conversation as the blonde was. Zidane's eyes lit up when he noticed Zack standing in the doorway.

"Zack! Glad to see you're back amongst the living! Come join us," he said, gesturing to an empty chair. "I've been swapping stories with old man Benthor here while waiting for you to wake up."

Benthor eyed the young man as he took a seat at the table. "Ya still look a little green around the gills, son. Let me get ya somethin' to drink," he said, hobbling around the kitchen. "It was my wife's secret recipe- cured most ills, it did. Said it'd been passed down in her family for generations."

While the old man was busy with that, Zack turned to Zidane. "Sir," he began, "I, um, I don't mean to be rude, but, where are we?"

"We're still in Burmecia," the blonde replied. "Probably a mile or two from Gizamaluke's Grotto's west entrance. You were only out for an hour or two. I thought it better to let you rest a bit before moving on and Benthor was good enough to take us in."

"I see." The knight-in-training hesitated. "What...uh, what happened? I remember bits and pieces, but nothing that really makes sense."

"You didn't listen is what happened."

Zack was taken back by the sudden change in his superior's tone. "What...?"

Zidane swirled the liquid around in his cup, his face oddly serious. "I took a hit that must have looked bad from where you were standing, because the next thing I know, you're shouting and waving your arms and doing everything you can to get the grand dragon's attention. I think you even threw a rock at it." He shook his head. "It worked, and the beast went after you. Then you started running for the cliff- I have no idea what you were trying to do, but the dragon tripped you with its tail and you fell over the side." He ran a hand through his hair, thinking back to the tranced state he had entered immediately following Zack's disappearance. His emotions had been more powerful than he could remember them being in a long time. The dragon didn't even know what hit it. "You about gave me a heart attack. I killed the dragon and then went to find you. I'm not sure how, but you had miraculously gotten hung up on a rocky outcropping halfway or so down the mountainside. Knocked your head somewhere on the way down, though, so I headed for the first building I saw, which happened to be Benthor's shack."

"I wasn't sure what to think when I saw you two running up on that bird of yours," the old man commented, setting a steaming cup in front of Zack, who looked a little dazed. "Drink up, son. Can I get you a refill, Zidane?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks, though."

Benthor nodded, easing himself back into his chair. "But, ya didn't tell me it was a _grand dragon _that was chasin' your friend here."

The blonde shrugged. "You didn't ask."

"Those are nasty beasts, to be sure. I never go up on the high plains meself, but the caves 'round here have their own brand of wicked creatures. Take those silent angels, for example."

Zack coughed violently, hastily setting his cup on the table until the fit passed. "What's in that?" he gasped, looking at the drink like it might bite him.

"I told ya already, it's an old family remedy. It's a bit strong, but it'll have you right as rain in no time. Drink up."

Zack looked almost desperately at the blonde, who shrugged as if to say 'what do you want _me _to do?' Not wanting to offend their host, and not really seeing any other way out, the knight-in-training steeled himself before downing the rest of the drink.

"Silent angels?" Zidane asked curiously, turning his attention back to the old man. "I've never heard of them before."

"Oh, they're tricky," Benthor began, leaning forward. "Ya see, they look like regular people- jus' like you and me -except their skin has a faint bluish gleam to it. They'll act like they're in trouble, layin' on the ground like they been attacked or some such, maybe even cry out for help when they hear you comin', and wait for you to get close enough. Then, they'll leap up and wrap their hands around your throat, like they's trying to strangle ya," he said, his hands miming the attack, "only it _burns_. Feels like their hands are on fire and they got a steel grip to boot! And, if ya don't get away before they's done, they steal your voice," he finished, sitting back in his chair.

"Steal your voice? Like having silence cast on you?" the blonde queried.

"Nah, silence only really affects those _wizard _people- ya know, them that can use magic. Don't know who came up with that name, though. All it does is block their spells, not their voice. But the silent angels, I guess ya could say that what they do is like a _real _silence spell- ya won't even be able to make the faintest peep," Benthor said, leaning back in his chair. "Ya never know how much you rely on your voice until it's gone. Ya gotta be careful in caves, especially if ya see someone layin' on the ground. Ya never know if they's really a person or a silent angel."

"Right," Zidane said, his tone sincere while his expression was somewhat skeptical. "I'll keep that in mind." He turned back to his companion. "Well, you've got some color back in your cheeks now. How're you feeling?"

"Much better, actually," Zack replied, looking a little surprised himself.

"Works every time," Benthor stated, chuckling. "I suppose you boys will be wantin' to get back on the road, now?"

"Yeah, we probably should be going," Zidane agreed. He stood and stretched, his tail arching out behind him. "Are you sure you won't accept any money? I mean, if we're going to treat your place like an inn, the least we can do is pay for the room."

The old man waved him off. "Nah, just having someone to talk to for the last few hours was enough for me." He walked with them outside to where Choco was grazing. The chocobo let out a _kweh _when he saw Zidane and immediately began pecking at the blonde's hair and clothes.

"Alright, alright! I get it! You don't like the grass here!" Zidane pushed the bird away and dug around in his pack until he found some gyshal greens. "Is this more to your liking?"

The giant bird deftly plucked the roots out of Zidane's hand and almost swallowed them whole. He warbled contentedly, rubbing his cheek against the blonde's.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Zidane replied, scratching the chocobo under its beak.

Zack and Benthor watched the exchange with some amusement. "You know, I didn't notice it earlier, what with all the fuss," the old man began, gazing keenly at the huge bird, "but that's a golden chocobo, isn't it?"

"Yes, he is," the blonde replied, continuing to stroke the feathers.

"Tell me, have you heard of a place called the Chocobo's Air Garden, supposedly only accessible with a gold chocobo?"

Zidane looked a little surprised. "Yeah, actually. I didn't think anyone else knew about it..."

"My brother-in-law was a bit of a chocobo fanatic- my wife's family raised chocobos, ya see. Anyway, Joe knew more than any one man ought 'bout chocobos. Swore up and down that the air garden existed, he did, and spent his whole life trying to get there."

Zidane shrugged. "Well, once you get past the whole 'floating in the sky' thing, it's not all that impressive of a place."

Both Zack and Benthor looked stunned. "You've been there?" the old man asked.

"A couple times, yeah."

"Could you... I know it's a lot to ask, but..."

"Take you there?"

"No, I'm afraid I've got no tolerance for heights," he said, chuckling quietly. "But, my wife was the only one who believed Joe. She passed away last year, and that anniversary is coming up." He bowed his head for a moment before meeting Zidane's eyes. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could ya maybe bring me some flowers from there? I'd like to put them on her grave. Ya know, let her know that Joe was right all along."

Zidane nodded solemnly. "I will. I'm on kind of a tight schedule right now, but I should get some free time in the next week or two."

"Thank you," Benthor said sincerely.

"Well, after you helped us, it's the least I could do." Zidane climbed onto the bird's back, helping Zack up behind him. "See you later!" he called, kicking Choco into an easy lope as they headed for the mountains separating Burmecia and Alexandria.

** . . . **

They stopped in Dali as the sun began to set, Zidane opting to spend the night in town after sleeping on the ground and eating nothing but traveling rations for the last few weeks. "Looks like the dinner rush is almost over," Zidane noted as they stepped inside local pub. He walked over to the menu posted on the wall and studied it briefly before getting in the short line at the counter, Zack trailing along at his heels.

"Hello, I'm Slai and I'll be your server today," the young woman behind the counter greeted him in a tired tone when it was his turn. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have the kabobs with vegetable stir-fry and water," Zidane replied, leaning casually against the counter.

"Anything else?"

"What do you want?" Zidane asked, turning to Zack.

"I'm fine, sir," Zack replied. The pay for a knight-in-training wasn't all that great and he really didn't have any extra money to spend on eating out.

"Uh-huh. He'll have the same," Zidane said, turning back to the waitress.

Zack opened and closed his mouth a few times while Slai added up the total. "That'll be 45 gil," she said.

Zidane pulled out his wallet and paid the bill before steering Zack to a small table off to one side that was unoccupied.

"Sir, that really wasn't necessary," Zack protested as he was pushed into a chair.

"Not strictly necessary, no," Zidane replied. "But there were people waiting behind us and you didn't look like you were planning on moving anytime soon."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant."

"Then why-"

"Look," Zidane started, cutting him off, "I'm not going to take you out and then make you watch me eat because you're saving up for a new sword."

Zack just stared at him for a few seconds. "How did you-"

"Besides, I saw the way you were staring at Slai when we first walked in," Zidane continued, grinning. "I thought I should at least let you sample her cooking before you asked her on a date."

Zack's cheeks flushed red. "T-that's not what I was thinking about!"

"Really? Because you could barely take your eyes off her," Zidane commented, glancing back at the waitress. "Oh, I see. That's a pretty tight bodice she's wearing, isn't it?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

It took Zack a few seconds to figure out what his superior was implying. "Sir!" he cried, a scandalized look on his face. "A knight's behavior has to be above reproach! I would _never _dishonor a young lady by-by-"

"Relax," Zidane said, laughing. "I'm just giving you a hard a time."

"Your sense of humor leaves something to be desired," Zack muttered, his face still red.

Their conversation was interrupted as Slai brought a tray to their table. "Two orders of kabobs and vegetable stir-fry with water," she said, setting the plates and glasses on the table in front of them. She didn't seem to notice the way Zack was studiously _not _looking at her, or catch Zidane's knowing grin. "Enjoy your meal."

Not having eaten since early that morning, both men dug into the hot meal with enthusiasm. _The food is better than I remember_, Zidane thought, biting a piece of meat off his kabob. _But, then again, after eating nothing but travel rations for a few weeks, I'll bet just about anything would taste better. _As they ate, a nearby conversation caught Zidane's attention.

"I'm telling ya, Tom was up at the observatory just last week," one man was saying, "and he said that the trees in the center are looking green again."

"So a few more trees have grown. That doesn't mean that the Evil Forest is going to become un-petrified," his companion retorted, standing.

"This wasn't a couple trees here and there. It was the _entire middle _of the forest," the first man insisted, also rising to his feet. "Besides, trees can't just grow out of stone and those were too big to have grown from a seed in so short a time. I'm telling ya, the rumors are true."

"So what if they are? It's not like we have any business down in the valley..." The conversation faded away as the men walked outside.

Zidane looked after them, chewing thoughtfully. _Rumors that the Evil Forest is becoming un-petrified, eh? That might be worth looking into. _He finished off his meal, pushing his plate away as he pulled out the map. _Now that we're back on this side of the mountain range, I think we'll walk instead of using Choco. We're closer to South Gate, so we'll use that to get down into the valley and follow the river back to the Evil Forest. We can scout around the outskirts tonight, camp out on the plains and cover the other side of the river tomorrow_, he thought, tracing the route with his eyes. _We may be a little late getting back to base camp tomorrow night, but I'll feel better knowing if the rumors are true or not. _Glancing at his companion, he noted that Zack had finished and was watching him. "Alright, let's go," he said, rolling up the map and dropping a few coins on the table as they headed for the door.

Zidane led the way through the darkening village streets to the inn, pushing the door open and walking inside. He paid for a room for the night and was heading in that direction when he noticed Zack lingering in the doorway. The blonde sighed quietly to himself. "You can sleep outside on the ground if it makes you feel better," he said, addressing his companion across the room, "but the room's paid for and there are three beds that I'm not going to be using."

After a moment's hesitation, Zack followed after him.

"We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow, so I want to be on the road before dawn," Zidane said, dropping his bag on the floor. "That being said, I think I'll turn in early. Goodnight." He stretched, tail arching as he reached his arms high above his head before turning down the covers and crawling into the nearest bed. He let himself sink into the softness of the mattress, feeling as if he were lying on a fluffy cloud. _Maybe a lumpy cloud, _he amended, shifting slightly as he heard Zack take the bed across from him, _but, it still beats sleeping on the ground any day. _He snuggled down in the blankets, sighing contentedly as he mentally went over their route again before drifting off to sleep.

** . . . **

**To Be Continued**

The next chapter will be posted on Monday. If you would like a response to your review, please sign in or leave an email address.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

True to his word, Zidane had risen early and they had left in what Zack felt was still the middle of the night. They made good time walking to South Gate, although it did take some convincing before the night guard would let them pass. Zidane had had to point out that his travel papers had been signed by the king himself, allowing him entry anywhere in Alexandria. This had earned him astonished and skeptical looks from Zack and the guard respectively. After verifying the seal was authentic, the guard grudgingly pulled up the portcullis, straining to hold it up while the travelers passed through. Zack jumped when the iron gate slammed shut behind them, but Zidane cheerfully thanked the guard and continued on his way.

The cable car they were riding had almost reached the valley floor before the sky had lightened enough to signify the sun had fully risen beyond the tall mountains that rimmed Alexandrian territory. Zidane watched as they neared the station, steadying his sleeping companion as the cable car ground to a halt. "This is our stop," he said, exiting the car. Zack stumbled behind him, still a bit bleary-eyed as he covered a yawn.

There weren't many monsters along the river bank and Zack dispatched the few serpions, pythons and hedgehog pies they did come across with relative ease over the next several hours. They reached the edge of the forest a little before noon, so they stopped for an early lunch where the river met the stone trees.

"I've heard the stories," Zack admitted, staring at the petrified vines snaking between the trees, barring entry into the forest, "but it's a bit creepy actually seeing it in person."

Zidane took a bite of jerky. "It's not so bad- a lot better than being chased out of the forest. At least these vines aren't moving," he said, shrugging.

"Chased out, sir?" Zack repeated. "Do you mean to say, _you _were actually _in _the forest when this happened?"

"That's right."

Zack's eyes were wide. "What were you doing in the Evil Forest, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Running for my life."

Zack shook his head. "No, I mean before that. There was still Mist down here then, right? I didn't think _anyone _came down into the valley back then."

"Well, it wasn't ideal, I'll give you that," Zidane admitted. "But, the trees slowed down our airship enough that the crash only shook us up instead of actually killing us." He cocked his head to the side pensively. "You know, it worked out rather well, all things considered."

"That sounds like quite the trip. Do you know what caused this?" Zack asked, gesturing to the stone flora.

"That...was kind of our fault, too, I think."

Zack gaped at him. "How on Gaia did you manage to turn an _entire _forest to _stone?_"

"Well, the plants had taken one of our companions," Zidane began. "We had to get her back, so we followed them to the heart of the forest, where the Forest Master lived, and defeated it. Right afterward, a bunch of- I don't know, 'plant spiders' are the best way to describe them -came out of nowhere and literally chased us out of the forest. I'm not sure why, but as we got closer to the plains, the plant spiders disappeared, only to be replaced by a bunch of vines. You could literally watch everything turning to stone- if you dared to stop long enough to look -as the petrification raced through the forest. Anyway, right after I cleared the trees, the vines that had been chasing me wound themselves around the trunks before turning to stone, effectively cutting off all access to the forest, as you can see."

"But, couldn't you just wait until it almost reached you and then hop over to the ground that was already petrified?"

"I don't know," Zidane said, staring distantly at the stone forest. "But, one of my buddies got grabbed by a plant spider and was turned to stone with it." He shook his head. "At any rate, it wasn't a risk I was willing to take."

"So, your friend is still..."

"Nah, another buddy of mine got his hands on some Super Soft and went back to save Blank. Last I heard, they were both back in Lindblum."

Zack was silent for a moment. "No offense, sir, but I'm not entirely certain I believe that story," he said at length.

Zidane shrugged. "Whether you believe it or not is up to you. After all, it's not like I have any actual proof that it happened."

Zack looked a little unsettled when the blonde's reply wasn't, "Fooled ya!" or, "Just kidding!" or even, "You don't believe me? I'm hurt," all said in a sincerely fake tone. One of the traits the rookie most admired in Zidane was the quiet assurance he seemed to have of one who doesn't need to prove himself to those around him. His casual dismissal of Zack's skepticism only cemented that image in the soldier's mind, making it that much more difficult to pass off the story as fiction.

They finished their meal soon after and began hiking east along the perimeter of the forest. Zidane scanned the stone for any sign the rumors were true while Zack walked beside him, lost in thought. _Man, I can't see anything from here, _Zidane groused mentally. _They said it was in the middle of the forest- **of course** I wouldn't be able to see anything from here! _He sighed. _I should have stopped by the observatory so I'd at least know where to look. Not that it would have done much good in the dark, though..._

"Um, sir? What is _that_?" Zack asked.

Zidane stopped, looking where the younger man was pointing to a round creature curled up on the ground. It almost looked like a grossly oversized frog with large ridges going down its back and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It was covering its eyes with its clawed hands, although it would peek out at them between its fingers periodically before 'hiding' again. The blonde cocked his head to the side. "You _do _realize this isn't the first hedgehog pie we've come across, right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You've killed two already today."

"What I meant was, what is it doing? Why is it lying on the ground like that?"

"Who knows? Perhaps it's some sort of weird mating ritual, or something."

"But, it's staring straight at _me._"

"Maybe you're the lucky bride?" Zidane suggested, grinning.

Zack didn't miss a beat. "No, I think it's debating the best way to take me out so it can have you all to itself."

Zidane raised the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically. "It seems even the beasts of the field can't resist my charm," he lamented, sighing heavily. "It is difficult being sought after so relentlessly. Why, I can scarce show my face in public without being beset upon by avid fans and admirers!"

Zack chuckled, shaking his head. "Seriously, though. Is it, I don't know, trying to hide? I mean, it keeps covering its eyes like it thinks we can't see it. And, why is it all curled up?"

"It's probably trying to make us think it's a rock, or something."

Zack blinked. "But...it's bright red. It stands out rather well in the green grass."

Zidane shrugged. "Maybe it's colorblind?"

"Okay, but what are we supposed to do about it? Just walk away?"

"Not a bad idea. However, it'll attack as soon as you turn your back, and I wouldn't recommend letting it get a hold of your ankle. Those things are tenacious little buggers."

A loud noise echoed up to them from the south, sounding like a cross between a bellow and a roar. The hedgehog pie immediately ran in the opposite direction, disappearing in the tall grass. Zack had drawn his sword, looking around nervously even though it was obvious the sound had come from pretty far away. "What was _that_?"

"Sounded like an adamantoise to me," Zidane said, unconcerned. He continued walking, turning his attention back to the forest.

"An adamantoise?" Zack repeated, jogging briefly to catch up. "Will it come over here?"

"Probably not. They tend to stay in the marshes around here."

"I see. From the sound, I assume it is fairly large?"

"Yeah, it could probably swallow you whole."

"Th-that big?" Zack stuttered.

"Yep."

"Oh."

Noticing Zack was staring off towards the south, Zidane reached out and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, I won't let anything eat ya."

Zack brushed off the hand indignantly. "That's not what I was thinking about," he said, trying to restore some semblance of order to his hair. "I was merely wondering how a creature so large could hide in so relatively flat an area. The grass, though easily tall enough to hide a man, surely is not so high as to conceal something like this adamantoise."

"Yeah, it doesn't really make sense to me either," Zidane agreed, putting his hands behind his head. "But, they just seem to rise up outta nowhere. Scared me half to death the first time it happened."

"I should imagine so."

"Anyway, you don't need to worry about them this trip. We're almost done and we won't be heading down to the marshes."

Zack nodded and they lapsed into a companionable silence once again.

**. . . **

Zidane estimated it was between three and four by the time they reached the end of the Evil Forest. He was more than a little disappointed to have not found anything to substantiate the rumors. _Looks like I'm going to have to swing by the observatory at Dali when I take Thompson on the rounds, _he thought, glancing at the distant mountain peak. He chuckled. _Who knows? Depending on how good he is at climbing, maybe we'll just scale the stone vines and explore the inside of the forest. _He turned around, pausing as he noticed something he hadn't seen before. He moved over to the base of the mountain, ignoring Zack's curious gaze as he examined a large crevice in the stone. _Or, perhaps we can look around in here right now, _he thought, sticking his head inside. The ground sloped sharply down from the entrance and the tunnel seemed to lead right underneath the petrified forest. _Oh yeah, this'll be perfect._

It wasn't long before the two were exploring the cave, crudely made torches in hand. Although Zack had raised an eyebrow at the spontaneous spelunking trip, he just shrugged and followed the blonde into the cave. Zidane usually had a reason for everywhere they went (even if it wasn't always a very good one, in Zack's opinion), and hadn't gotten them into too much trouble yet.

Zidane led the way, studying the tunnel as they walked. It wasn't overly large- just wide enough for them to walk side-by-side -and the ceiling hung low enough in some places that they had to lower their heads so as to not hit the rock. In the flickering light, the blonde could make out some roots here and there along the roof of the tunnel. He touched one, confirming they were just as stone as the cave around them. _Looks like we're going the right way._

They walked in silence for some minutes more before the tunnel branched. Zidane didn't hesitate, choosing the route that led deeper into the forest, according to the mental map he was drawing.

They came across a few more offshoots, the blonde not even bothering to stop before deciding which one to take. Zack was quietly keeping track of the number and directions of turns as well, wanting to be prepared if (or, rather, _when_) Zidane asked him to lead them out.

They hadn't been walking for quite an hour when the passage suddenly opened up into a larger cavern. The ceiling was high enough that the men would have to jump to touch it and it was about the same size as one of the rooms of the local inns in Alexandria. However, what really caught their attention was the creature sitting in the middle of the chamber.

It had the basic shape of a gorilla but the torchlight gleamed off of the scales that covered its entire body. Thick, long plates reached almost from wrist to elbow, covering both its forearms like impenetrable armor. A ridged fin ran down its skull, almost making the creature look like it had a mohawk, and long, thin spines stood up the length of its backbone when it saw them. Its serpentine eyes narrowed and it rumbled deep in its chest, baring its canines.

Zidane whistled, dropping his pack to the floor and wedging his torch into a crack in the wall. "Now, that's something I haven't seen before," he said, eying the monster. "It doesn't look like it's going to let us pass without a fight."

"Shall I, sir?" Zack asked, also setting down his torch and loosening his sword in its sheath.

Zidane scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Alright, go ahead. But be careful," he warned.

Nodding, Zack drew his sword and entered the chamber.

"Look out!"

Zack hadn't taken more than a few steps when Zidane tackled him from behind. The blonde could practically feel the claws rake the air above him as he landed on top of his trainee. Swiftly regaining his feet, he saw the two winged creatures swooping back to the walls, seemingly waiting for another opening. "I'll take those two," he announced, moving towards them.

Zack scrambled back to his feet, tightly clutching his sword as he glanced back at the reptilian gorilla. The creature had risen to its feet, pacing back and forth while watching him warily. The rumble in its chest had grown louder and it pounded the ground with its fists every now and again, as if daring the soldier to come closer.

Zidane pulled his daggers from their sheaths as he neared the flying creatures, studying the fiends intently. _They look like monkeys, _he thought. _Monkeys with wings. _They were also covered in scales, though they did not have the thick plates the gorilla did. They watched him with wide eyes, their pupils abnormally large in the torch's light, and bat-like ears that twitched with his every step. Their slender tails- easily twice the length of their bodies -curled and flicked underneath them, darting within range of the blonde's knives before just as quickly jerking away. One climbed higher on the wall and Zidane could see the marks left in the stone from its claws. Readying his blades, he grinned before leaping and slashing, making the creatures take flight once more.

"You know that saying: 'When monkeys fly?' " he asked his companion casually.

"It's- pigs, sir!" Zack grunted, barely holding onto his sword as he deflected the powerful strokes from the gorilla-lizard's plated arms.

"Oh, is that how it goes? Oh well," Zidane replied, shrugging as he continued to chase his quarry around the area.

Zack didn't respond as the monster managed to knock his sword aside and buried a fist in his stomach. Zack was knocked off his feet, landing on his back a couple feet away. He slowly rose to a sitting position, one hand on his abused stomach as he looked back at his opponent. The scaled gorilla had started beating on its chest, the plates glowing bright red from the repeated hits. It opened its mouth, revealing the ball of flames forming there. Just before it shot the fireball, a dagger sailed through the air and sunk into its upper arm, causing the gorilla to jerk and send the fireball into the wall on Zack's left. He blinked at the destroyed wall, eyes wide as he imagined himself in its place.

"If it looks like it's powering up for an attack, you either need to distract it before it can finish, or find somewhere to hide!" Zidane called, managing to clip one of the monkeys' wings. It screeched at him, baring its canines as it backed away from the blonde's approach.

"Y-yes sir!" Zack stammered, pushing himself to his feet once more. The scaled gorilla was roaring, grasping the dagger still sticking out of its arm. Pulling it out, it hurled the weapon to the floor and stomped on it a few times. It looked back up as Zack attacked, raising its good arm and catching his sword against the thick plates. An odd noise caught the soldier's attention and he risked a glance towards his superior.

The second flying monkey shot its tail out like a whip as Zidane impaled the first, the slender appendage wrapping around the blonde's throat. The winged fiend was already scaling the wall, using its sharp claws to dig into the stone, and pulled Zidane up until his toes barely touched the ground before he could react.

"Sir!" Zack yelled, unable to assist his superior. He struggled against the reptilian primate, his sword locked in a contest of strength against its arm. The beast raised its injured arm and began pounding on its chest, the large scales starting to glow. Zack felt the blood drain from his face, knowing there was no way he could survive a fireball at point blank range and also knowing that Zidane couldn't save him this time. Fear-fueled adrenaline surged through his system, allowing him to break the stalemate and throw the monster back as the first flickering flames appeared in its mouth. It fell on its back, shooting the fireball straight up. It hit the rock, exploding the ceiling above them.

Large rocks and chunks of the cave rained down, seeming as if the whole mountain was collapsing in on them. One of the torches was buried under the falling debris while the other slipped out of the crack it had been wedged into, the flame flickering wildly as it rolled across the shaking floor. Zack desperately peered through the hail of rocks, trying to catch a glimpse of the blonde. "Zidane!" he called out again, choking on the dust and dirt filling the air. Several large boulders came dangerously close to hitting him, forcing him to retreat back into the passageway.

Zidane grit his teeth as the tail tightened around his neck, feeling as if his skin were melting under its fiery touch. _Is its tail coated in some kind of acid? _he wondered, bringing his dagger up. Reversing his grip on the hilt, he swiped the knife behind him, blindly aiming for the appendage that seemed to be trying to pop his head off his shoulders. The weapon hit the mark, its sharp blade slicing through the scales and biting into the soft flesh beneath. The lizard shrieked in pain, immediately releasing its hold. Zidane fell to his knees, coughing agonizingly as he gently held his throat. Reflex took over as he sensed movement above him. Rolling to the side, he took a glancing blow on his shoulder from a rock that would have crushed his skull. He quickly rose to his feet, the relatively minor aches and pains ignored as he narrowly avoided more debris, his body reacting faster than conscious thought would allow.

After what felt like an eternity, the flow of rocks slowed, petering off into pebbles and dirt before stopping altogether. Zack slowly stood, eyes darting from side to side as he looked for the faintest bit of light. Both lamps had been destroyed and it seemed they were too far into the cave for any light from the sun to be able to reach them here. He stretched out his hands, taking a tentative step forward. "Sir?" he called, feeling along the surface of the fallen rocks. "Are you alright?" Silence was his only answer. "Zidane?" he tried again, his voice a bit louder. "Are you there?" Still no response. "Please, answer me!"

His voice echoed back to him off the walls, sounding slightly hysterical. "The rocks must be too thick and he can't hear me," he told himself, trying to quell the fear rising inside of him. "I've got to get help!" He continued walking, almost frantically feeling along the walls. "Where was the path? Is this the way we came in? What if I'm only going deeper into the tunnel! ?" He tripped over something much too pliable to be a rock and his blood ran cold. _No...Oh, please, no... _He quickly ran his hands over the item, sinking back limply in relief when he realized it was just Zidane's bag. _I've got to get a hold of myself, _he thought sternly, giving himself a mental shake. _Okay, I have Zidane's pack. That means this is the way out! _He quickly stood, shouldering the pack as he moved more quickly down the tunnel, keeping one hand on the wall. _I have to hurry- if it is completely sealed, then I don't know how long his air will last! Every minute counts!_

Zidane could barely heard the panicked voice through the rocks as Zack called for him almost frantically. He had tried to answer- once. The burning agony that had flared from the attempt had left him gasping silently as he waited for it to fade back to the smoldering embers it had been before. _Ow, _he thought, rubbing his throat gingerly. _Man, I don't know what that lizard did, but he sure got me good- it still feels like my skin is on fire where his tail touched me. And just now when I tried to talk- did he cast Silence on me? But, trying to talk when silenced never hurt before, especially not like **that**. Maybe it's some kind of poison? _He shook his head, leaving that problem to be figured out later and pushed himself to his feet. Staggering slightly, he bit back a groan as all his new aches and pains made themselves known. _Oh, ow. Did I actually miss any of those rocks? It feels like I got pummeled by every single one..._

After a brief survey to make sure nothing was damaged too badly, the blonde sheathed his one remaining dagger (the other one buried somewhere beneath the rubble) and set about carefully exploring the area. He couldn't hear Zack anymore and figured he had probably gone for help. _Or, he's heading deeper into the cave. I'm pretty sure that he was closer to the entrance than I was, so it's likely he's heading the right way. Anyway, I hope he has my pack. Not only will he need the supplies, but it also has the gyshal greens to call Choco. He should be fine against most of the monsters on the plains, but I'm not sure how good his sense of direction is, _he thought as he carefully shuffled forward, keeping one hand on the rocks now blocking his path. It took several minutes to find the wall and several more to determine that he had found the path leading from the antechamber. _Alright. I'm injured- though not badly -have no supplies, no light and only one dagger. The first rule for being rescued is to stay put. Besides, it's pitch black in here and I don't know where this tunnel leads, not to mention how many more monsters might be inhabiting it. The sensible thing to do would be to stay here until they get the rocks cleared out. _A grin stretched across his features as he continued using his hands to guide him. _But, really, when has anyone ever accused me of being sensible?_

**. . . **

Steiner dropped the last piece of his armor to the ground, stretching in a way the constrictive metal would not allow. He yawned as he flopped down onto his cot, almost as tired as the recruits going through what he had dubbed 'field training.' Although they all seemed at least moderately skilled in the practice room against wood and straw dummies, real life application was a bit of a challenge. _At least we haven't had any injuries for the last several days, _he thought, noting the marked improvement from three weeks previous, when he had first marched them out here. Sighing, he hoisted himself back to his feet and moved to the desk, recording the progress each individual soldier had shown that day.

_"Williams- Disarmed two out of five opponents. Reaction time slight faster."_

_"Richards- Managed to hold onto his sword all day."_

_"Harris- Nearly perfect defense. Zero offense."_

_"Turley- Still leaning with shoulder before striking."_

_"Allen- Out scouting with Zidane."_

The Captain of the Knights of Pluto paused, his pen hovering over the paper. While the blonde lacked the skill to usefully instruct a group (orchestrating large scale pranks didn't count), he had proven to be an incredible teacher in a one on one setting. Steiner had no clue how, but the recruits that went out with Zidane always showed vast improvements when they returned. _Although I was rather against it in the beginning, this has turned out to be an excellent arrangement, _he mused, leaning back in his chair. _The Queen gets a bit of peace at the castle and Zidane can put his skills to use strengthening the army. Although he has settled down quite a bit compared to when I first met him, I can tell that his behavior sometimes worries the Queen. Their marriage was, thankfully, accepted by the kingdom without too much fuss, but many of the nobles are more than a little curious about him. If they were to find out the truth... _He let the thought trail off, shaking his head. _At least, when he's out here, that's one less this thing the Queen has to worry about._

A distressed voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned as one of the lieutenants stepped inside.

"Private Allen is here to report to you, sir!" he said, saluting sharply.

Steiner nodded to show him in, a pit of dread forming in his stomach. After all, Zidane wasn't due back until tomorrow, and he always came to find the Captain himself.

The lieutenant pulled back the tent flap, allowing the private to step inside. He executed a shaky salute before doing his best to stand still. It was obvious that he had something to say, but was trying hard to wait until his superior had acknowledged he could speak.

"Report," Steiner said briskly, rising to his feet.

"I was out scouting with Zidane when we came across a cave near the Evil Forest. We investigated it and were attacked by monsters. There was a cave-in and Zidane is trapped inside, sir!" he said, speaking quickly.

Steiner's eyes widened. "Rouse the men!" he began, issuing orders to the lieutenant. "Gather every shovel and anything remotely like a pick-ax we have, as well as all the rope you can find, and any the lanterns and torches we may have!" The lieutenant gave a quick salute before hurrying out of the tent. Steiner was already replacing his armor as he addressed Allen once more. "Do you know if Zidane is injured? Was he caught in the cave-in?" he asked.

"I tried calling to him, but there was no answer, sir!" was anxious the reply.

"Very well. Assemble with the rest of the men." Steiner quickly finished dressing before exiting the tent, a grim expression on his face. _Please, let us not be too late._

**. . . **

**To be Continued**

The next chapter will be posted on Monday. If you would like a response to your review, please sign in or leave an email address.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Zidane had come to the conclusion that exploring a cave without a light was decidedly **not fun**. He took a step forward and his foot met nothing but air. Fingers tightened reflexively on the uneven surface of the wall, only to have it crumble beneath his grip. He fell, landing on his side and unable to contain a grunt of pain. His throat flared up violently, protesting its use and he bit back a groan as he gingerly rolled off a rock that his kidney had landed on. Shifting to a more comfortable- or, perhaps, less _un_comfortable -position, he simply lay there for a moment, waiting for the various new aches and pains to subside to a more manageable level.

_The walls seem less like solid rock and more like compacted earth, _he noted idly, rubbing the dirt on his gloves between his fingers. _Does this mean that the rumors are true? Is the Evil Forest slowly becoming un-petrified? Or, did I mis-count the number of left turns versus right and am now standing somewhere underneath the plains? _he wondered, carefully sitting up. After a quick examination to make sure everything still worked- albeit with some minor complaints -he stood and brushed himself off. _At least I didn't fall too far, _he mused, reached up to feel the higher ledge. _Probably four or five feet, I'd say. How long have I been walking anyway? _he pondered. While he was fairly proficient at gauging time by looking at the sun, he was completely lost in the dark. He shook his head. _It can't have been that long. I'm sure Zack made it back to camp by now and who knows how long it'll take to tunnel through the cave-in. I probably have plenty of time to get back there, _he reasoned, continuing through the darkness. _Besides, it's not like I can get lost. I just have to follow this wall back and it'll take me exactly where I need to go._

Zidane continued onward, walking a bit more cautiously down the tunnel. He had allowed his mind to wander when a new sound caught his attention. He paused, listening carefully, but there was nothing. Shrugging, he walked ten or so paces more when he heard it again. He stopped, holding his breath for several beats and straining his ears. He heard it a third time, more clearly now, as if it was getting closer.

_That sounded like...leaves brushing together in a gentle breeze. But, that doesn't make any sense! There's no wind down here, and plants have to have sun to grow, right? _he thought, confused. The noise was almost right above him now.

A soft _swish _was all the warning he got before something thick and oddly spongy slammed into him from behind, throwing him to the ground. He quickly rolled to his feet, stumbling in the darkness as he faced where he thought his opponent was. There was something familiar about the attack, as if he had come across this type of creature before, but he couldn't quite remember it. _It seems like some kind of plant, _he thought, clumsily dodging another strike and taking a glancing blow to shoulder. _I need to find where its base is if I want to defeat it. _He leapt to the side as he heard the _swish _again, ending up on his knees as he landed awkwardly on the uneven terrain. _The problem is, it seems to be attacking from several different directions! Could there be more than one in here?_

Zidane mostly dodged a few more blows before there was a soft _poof _as a small gust of wind ruffled his hair. It wasn't until the pollen hit his eyes that he realized what he was fighting. _It's one of those stupid floating flowers, _he thought, futilely rubbing his now-stinging eyes. _What was it that Vivi called them? Dendrobium? Although, the only place I ever recall seeing them was actually inside the Evil Forest. I guess that answers the question of whether it is being restored or not. _He concentrated, trying to remember what the plant looked like exactly. _Let's see... It was a large, open flower...three or four cattail-looking things dangling underneath it- that must be what keeps whacking me -and a small bud nestled in the very center of it all. If memory serves, that's what I need to hit in order to kill it, _he thought, keeping his eyes closed.

He heard the cattail swinging towards him again, but instead of trying to evade it, he grabbed it and held on tight. Its momentum lifted him up in the air before the extra weight unbalanced the plant and it hit the floor along with the blonde still clinging to the thrashing limb. Zidane wasted no time once it was down, quickly feeling his way up to the flower part. It tried to rise in the air once more, but Zidane clung to its petals tenaciously, causing it to spin around him and crash back down to the floor, dragging him down on top of it. While it was stunned, he quickly located the bud and neatly severed it with his dagger. The plant writhed underneath him for a few seconds, cattails flailing about, before finally laying limply on the ground. It was dead.

Zidane took a moment to catch his breath, before carefully feeling beneath each petal until he found a small bulb, about the size of a small lime. He removed it carefully, slicing it in half and rubbing the liquid from it into his still-throbbing eyes. _I much prefer the refined eye drops to this, _he thought, hissing slightly. _This hurts almost as much as the stupid pollen did!_

It wasn't long before the pollen was completely cleared out of his eyes and the blonde sighed in relief. _Not that it does me much good down here, _he mused wryly, _but I much prefer being able to open my eyes. Now, where were we going...? _His thought trailed off as he realized he had allowed himself to get turned around during the scuffle and didn't actually know which way he had come from or where he had been heading. He was, for all intents and purposes, lost. He spent a few seconds pondering this new turn of events before shrugging his shoulders and heading in a random direction. _Steiner's going to yell at me for wandering off and getting lost anyway, so I guess there's no point in just standing around in the dark. Besides, who knows what else I might find down here?_

**. . . **

"Alright you four, back to work. Reever, Wesley, Brody and Harris take a break," Steiner commanded, pausing briefly in his work. The men obeyed without question, the tired soldiers moving back while the rested ones took their places. The captain turned his attention back to the large rock in front of him, raising his hammer and bringing it down on the camping stake that had been wedged into a crevice. He struck it again and again, driving it deeper until the rock split. Two soldiers immediately grabbed the now-manageably sized rock and moved it over to a cart to be dumped outside the cave. Steiner picked up the makeshift chisel and fitted it into another crack, beginning the long process over again. He swore softly as the abused wooden rod broke. "I need another stake," he said, tossing the useless pieces aside.

"We're almost out of these, sir," one of the men replied nervously, handed over the requested item. He hesitated a moment before speaking again. "I, ah, I know a little bit about the dangers of cave-ins- I mean, aside from being crushed under the rocks." He glanced at the other men before leaning closer to the captain. "What if, you know, we don't get to him in time?"

"We've made a lot of progress in the last several hours," Steiner reassured him. "We should be breaking through any moment."

There was a noisy clatter as one of the lanterns was knocked from its pole, throwing shadows dancing across the wall as it rolled on the ground. A cart on its side and a soldier sitting up over it revealed the cause of the commotion.

"Thompson! Watch where you're going!" Steiner barked.

"I'm sorry, sir!" he apologized, hurrying to right the cart before moving over to the lamp.

Steiner watched the soldier move with a critical eye before sighing. "Thompson, take a break. Richards, take his place." The men moved to obey as Steiner turned back to the wall. _At least it was a lantern and not one of the torches, _he thought. _I don't need for our only cart to be set on fire. _The light danced once again as Richards picked up the lantern, but this time a flash caught the captain's eye. "Malcolm, take over for me," he ordered, picking up one of the torches as he moved to investigate.

It took a few moments, but when Steiner found the source of the reflection, he felt his blood run cold. Near the wall, partially hidden by a sizable pile of rubble, was a very familiar dagger. Quickly sweeping away the smaller stones around it, the captain grimly gazed at the dark substance staining the ground underneath it. It seemed to have originated from the rubble and spread outwards. Steiner closed his eyes for a moment, ruthlessly pushing his emotions away before gazing back at the dagger.

"Any warrior worth his salt knows that to lose his weapon means death," he murmured softly, his calm voice not betraying the whirlwind raging in his mind. "Something must have happened to cause him to lose it."

_Like a cave-in? Pretty sure that would do it, _a cynical voice in his mind pointed out.

"It is possible he dropped it when the rocks landed on him, but his hand should still be nearby if that is the case," he continued, brushing away as much as he could from the base of the pile. There was, thankfully, no limp hand to be found.

_Or, when he dropped it, it could have skittered across the floor._

"If so, then he may not be underneath this pile at all."

_If he's not, then why has he not answered when we've tried calling him? And where did all this blood come from?_

"Allen said they were fighting monsters. Perhaps this blood is from one of them.

_That's pretty far-fetched. And it doesn't explain the dagger._

"But the possibility still exists," Steiner stated firmly but quietly, feeling oddly like he was arguing with himself. "I'll not believe I have failed until I find his body."

"Captain! We've done it! We've broken through!" one of the men cried.

Steiner immediately came over as the exited soldiers pulled down more rubble, enlarging the hole they had made. Once it was big enough, they stepped back and let him go through.

The Captain of the Knights of Pluto carefully navigated his way down the rocks before holding his torch high and glancing about the room. Although he half-expected it, he could not help the flash of disappointment that Zidane was not there.

More soldiers filed through the new passage, spreading out and searching for any sign of the blonde underneath the rubble.

Steiner stood, staring down the dark passage that loomed before him. _If I know anything about Zidane, it is that he cannot sit still for too long. If he isn't buried underneath the rocks, then I doubt he would have stayed to be rescued, _the knight thought sourly, his anger at the blonde's irresponsibility warring with his worry that perhaps this time the King was unable to escape at the last minute, as he usually did. The dagger made it difficult to dismiss the latter possibility. _If he DID continue down the tunnel, then it is likely he is injured and doesn't have a light. We don't know what creatures may be lurking in there, so we must find him as quickly as possible. On the other hand, I may be putting my men in unnecessary danger if Zidane is already... _He shook his head, unable or, perhaps, unwilling to complete that thought.

"Sir? There is no sign of Zidane here. What are your orders?" Brody asked.

Steiner took a deep breath and turned to his men. "Alright, listen up. Turley will lead a team to scout out the tunnel," he stated, handing the man his torch. "Do not get lost. We are already on a rescue mission, I do not want to have to start another. Wesley, Allen, Richards and Williams will go with him. I will be staying here for a while longer. You are to report anything of interest back to me, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good. The rest of you, come with me," the captain turned and made his way back to where the dagger still lay upon the ground. He knelt and picked it up, turning it over in his hand. One of the men recognized it.

"Sir, isn't that..."

"Yes, this is one of Zidane's daggers. He may be buried underneath here," Steiner replied.

The men's faces paled. "No...he _can't _be..." one murmured, staring at the dark stain on the ground.

"But...but, sir, if you think he's under there, then why did you-"

"I said he _may _be under there," Steiner interrupted. "I will not believe he is dead until I see proof otherwise." He narrowed his eyes, looking at every man in turn. "In the meantime, I will follow every lead to find him. He may be under here. Or, he may have gone deeper into the cave. Turley is exploring that possibility. It is your job to clear away this pile before he gets back, so we will know whether to call off the search or not."

The men nodded, looking more determined than before as they quickly found their tools and got back to work. The pile was, thankfully, off to the side of the main cave-in, which meant that they didn't have to move a lot of rocks to get to the part they were interested in. It didn't take more than half an hour to clear away enough to reveal what they wanted to know.

"A monster," Harris said, laughing a little. "It's just a monster, sir."

Steiner closed his eyes, allowing himself to breathe a sigh of relief as the other soldiers expressed their joy that it was not the body of their comrade.

It was only a few minutes more before they heard someone approaching. "Sir!" Turley said, saluting sharply. The other four with him did the same.

"What did you find?" Steiner asked.

"The tunnel branches several times. We explored several offshoots and, while there are a number of dead ends, there are just as many new tunnels that need to be checked. We've started making a map on Allen's back-" Steiner raised an eyebrow at this, noting that Allen was missing his shirt, "-but, I thought we should come back and give you a status report." Turley shook his head. "Quite frankly, it's almost like a maze in there."

"You made a map on Allen's back?" the captain repeated.

Allen slid Zidane's pack off his shoulders while turning, showing his back. Lines had been inked in started on his lower back and moving up. As Turley had said, there were offshoots off the main path, some that ended with an 'x' -_Presumably the dead ends, _Steiner thought- and others that seemed to lead to more tunnels.

"We, ah, didn't have anything to write on and Allen _did _volunteer..." Turley explained, staring at the ground.

"Yes, sir," Allen piped up, glancing over his shoulder. "It's my fault Zidane's stuck down here, so I'll do whatever I can to help until we to find him!"

Steiner closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Alright, this will go faster if we have more people searching. Everyone, grab a torch or a lantern. Keep an eye out for any monsters or any sign that Zidane may have gone a certain way. Move out!" he barked.

"Yes sir!"

**. . . **

Zidane eased himself to the ground, his feet telling him it was time for another break. It felt good to rest his legs and he leaned back against the wall, shifting until he found a comfortable position. He closed his eyes, since there wasn't much use in having them open anyway, and let his head rest against the wall.

_I wonder how long I've been walking in here? _he mused, yawning. _It must be well after midnight- maybe even approaching dawn. They should have cleared a path through the tunnel by now. _His face split into a wry grin. _I'll bet Rusty's good and angry at me for not waiting for him to come._

He sighed softly, his body relaxing further against the wall as his mind wandered. It wasn't until he jerked back up after starting to fall to the side that he realized he had been falling asleep. _That's enough of that, _he thought, pushing himself back to his feet and continuing through the dark. _I can't let myself fall asleep in a place like this. Rusty would never let me hear the end of it for sure!_

He walked some distance further, carefully testing each step before shifting his weight forward. He had already fallen once and wasn't eager to do so again, despite how much it slowed his progress. The time consuming precaution had paid off more than a few times already and did so once again as his foot felt nothing but air where the floor should be. He ran his hands along the wall until he felt a small part sticking out further than the rest and broke it off. Holding it out in front of him, he dropped it and listened as it hit the ground further below. The sound echoed in an area larger than the passage he was standing in.

_I guess this tunnel opens up into a larger cavern. It doesn't seem like it's too far of a drop, but I doubt I could climb back up without a light, _he thought, weighing his options. Kneeling down, he felt along the wall until it stopped, making sure there wasn't any sort of ledge. Still crawling, he carefully moved to the other side of the tunnel, keeping one hand along the edge of the hole to assure he didn't tumble down accidentally. When he made it to the other wall, he discovered that there was a ledge wide enough for him to walk on and he continued forward.

The light caught his attention sooner than the opening in the rock did and he looked down the narrow passage in the wall he had been following. It seemed that this small branch led outside and he couldn't help but smile as he saw pale, silvery light reflecting off something beyond the cave.

More eager to escape the darkness than he realized, his feet were already taking him towards the light before he had given a conscious thought to do so. His enthusiasm was reined in quickly when he reached the mouth of the tunnel, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

The passage opened up into a large cavern that was eerily familiar. Faint beams of moonlight filtered in through a gaping hole in the roof and danced across the rippling waters of a hidden spring. Zidane recognized the deep scores through the rocks where huge vines had lain the last time he had peered into this chamber. _I wonder if it was those vines that chased us out of the forest last time, _he thought, comparing the room to that of his memory. _It seems like everything didn't die with the last Forest Master. Or, was that huge flower-thing we killed merely a front to protect the heart? Was the entire forest turning to stone a defensive measure, to protect itself? But, if so, where is the heart it was trying to protect? The petrification is all but gone here, which means that it must have regained some strength, at least- _His head jerked around as movement from the shadows just beyond the moonlight caught his eye. Leaning forward slightly, he peered into the darkness, trying to see what might be lurking there. It moved again and he almost jumped backwards as he recognized the vague outline of thick, thorny vines stretching out from a large, star-shaped flower. It seemed the Forest Master wasn't quite as dead as they had thought.

The petals seemed to be drooping, as if it was asleep and Zidane saw no reason at all to wake it up. Having confirmed the rumor, as well as figuring out which way he needed to go, he quietly withdrew back into the tunnel. He was planning on slipping away undetected when he saw one of the petals perk up, turning this way and that as if looking for something. When it turned towards him, it paused briefly before the other petals raised up and the whole flower turned to face him.

_Oh, that can't be good, _he thought, covering his ears as the plant gave an inhuman shriek. Almost immediately, a dendrobium drifted into view, blocking most of the already scant light as it hovered in front of the tunnel. Zidane drew back as the floating flower pursued him, entering the tight passage. Seeing his chance for a quick victory, the blonde jumped up and plunged his dagger into the exposed bud just as it released a burst of pollen. He jerked back, stumbling as he landed awkwardly and rubbing his eyes in a vain attempt to alleviate the stinging. Not two seconds later, he was knocked off his feet as the dead dendrobium landed on top of him.

A thrill of adrenaline surged through him as his head and shoulders hit nothing but air. _I didn't realize I was that close to the ledge! _he thought, scrambling out from underneath the flower. He had just made it back to his feet when a thick vine rammed into him, quickly wrapping around and pinning one arm to his body. The unexpected blow sent him staggering backwards and over the edge.

The vine refused to release him and he slammed into the wall, stunned as the wind was knocked out of him. He just hung there for a moment, dangling upside down, before the vine slowly started to pull him back up. His wits came back with his breath and he dug his feet into the wall as he tried to hack at the vine with his dagger.

_My dagger doesn't seem to be much more effective than last time, _he noted ruefully as the vine tightened around his chest, making him gasp as the thorns dug into his skin. _Where's a torch when you really need it! ?_

His feet were slipping in the loosening soil and he felt himself slide a few more inches up the wall. Frantically- and futilely -trying to free himself, he couldn't help but wonder if he really might have bitten off more than he could chew this time. His morbid thoughts were interrupted when he heard the unmistakable sound of human voices.

Hearing that help was nearby, he started knocking his dagger against the wall, scraping the blade across the rocky surface. The screeches and shrieks from the metal were almost enough to set his teeth on edge, but they were guaranteed to get _someone's _attention.

"Sir! Do you think that Zidane's making that racket! ?" one hopeful voice asked.

"Probably."

_There's good ole' Rusty, _Zidane thought, smiling.

"Can anyone tell where it's coming from?"

"No, it's echoing too much in here."

_What do you mean, you can't tell where it's coming from! ? I can tell approximately where you guys are! _Zidane yelled mentally. _Hm, perhaps it's because I've been down here so long in the dark. I have excellent hearing normally, and with it sharpened to compensate for my lack of sight... Regardless, I have to come up with some other way to show them where I am. _His hand stilled as he considered what else he could do.

"It stopped. That can't be a good sign, right? Zidane! Where are you! ? Answer me!" someone else yelled.

_I'd love to- if I could speak! _He slid a little further up the wall. _I guess I have no choice. If this doesn't work... _Gritting his teeth, he pulled back his arm, focusing briefly on the soldiers' chatter before sending his dagger sailing through the air. The shriek that followed made his blood run cold.

"What is it! ?"

"Sorry, sir! Someone threw a dagger and almost hit Williams! It's imbedded in the wall there."

"Who's throwing knives when we're trying to-"

"It's Zidane's!"

"Let me see it. No, don't pull it out! It had to have come from that direction. Move it! Find him! He has to be within thirty yards!"

"Yes sir!"

Zidane smiled as he heard the booted feet rushing towards him.

"There he is! He's-"

Zidane missed the rest of the sentence as the vine- apparently tired of him struggling - lifted up slightly and slammed him into the wall again. His skull found a rock this time and he hung there dazed as he waited for the stars behind his eyelids to disappear. The vine was pulling him up again, but he felt a pair of hands grasp his free arm and pull back.

"You men! Get over here and help pull him down!" Steiner barked.

A couple more sets of hands joined the first and Zidane suddenly felt like the rope used in a game of tug-o-war. The scrape of a sword being unsheathed caught his attention just before he felt the impact through the vine. The plant reacted by curling tighter and the blonde gasped noiselessly as a little more air was forced from his lungs.

"No, swords are no good alone! Bring those torches over here! Thompson! You're the tallest! Allen, climb on his shoulders and burn the vine as high up as you can reach. Quickly!"

There were more scuffling footsteps as the men hastened to obey before Zidane's arm was almost ripped out of its socket. The Forest Master's shriek of pain echoed through the tunnels as the vine thrashed violently, trying to get away from the fire, while the men held steadfastly to Zidane's arm.

The vine gave one last jerk, almost lifting the soldiers off the ground, before relinquishing its hold on the blonde. Zidane didn't try to break his fall as several sets of arms did it for him.

"I've got him! Fall back!" Steiner commanded, retreating back the way they had come.

"Sir! Up there! What are _those_! ?"

"Plant Spiders? Then, that means..." Zidane heard the Captain mutter before he raised his voice. "It doesn't matter unless they attack! Fall back!"

Not eager to try running through the cave while still blind, Zidane contented himself to wait until Steiner deemed them a [somewhat] safe distance away before stopping. When they did, the Captain set him back on his feet, steadying the blonde on the uneven ground.

Steiner held out the twin daggers. When they weren't taken, he leaned forward and looked closely at the King's face. He could just make out the black pollen clinging to the lighter eyelashes. _He's blind. We don't have any remedies with us, but... _"You carry eye drops in your supplies?" he asked.

Zidane nodded.

"Allen! Bring that pack over here!" he called. It didn't take him long to locate the item and he handed it to the blonde to administer himself. Steiner took the opportunity to look him over carefully while he did so. "Any serious injuries?" he asked once the King could look at him, handing over the daggers.

Zidane shook his head, smiling when he saw Steiner had picked up _both _of his knives. He slid them back into their sheaths, happy to have their reassuring weight at his hips once more.

"Those were Plant Spiders back there," the knight continued. "Would I be right in assuming that it was the _Forest Master _that was after you?"

Another nod.

Steiner breathed deeply through his nose, nostrils flaring. "And would it be also correct, that you wandered off with the intension of _finding _said Forest Master?"

A contemplative look covered his features briefly before he nodded again. _Close enough, _he reasoned.

"This _same _Forest Master, that we barely escaped from before, when we had _Master Vivi's fire spells to aid us! ?_"

The blonde cocked his head to the side, as if he had just realized that point. This time a shrug accompanied the nod.

Steiner closed his eyes and counted backwards from ten. He was trying very hard to reign in his temper. After all, Zidane was the _king _and one didn't simply yell at the king. Lecture, on the other hand... "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Zidane looked at the Captain of the Knights of Pluto appraisingly. _Doesn't matter what I say, I'm still gonna get it. And, while Rusty has gotten a lot better at controlling his outbursts, he'll feel much better after he gets this off his chest. Besides, it's not like I **can** say anything, anyway... _Mentally preparing himself for the verbal barrage about to come his way, Zidane did the one thing that he knew would break the floodgates. He grinned.

Steiner stared at him incredulously for a few seconds. _Propriety be hanged! _"Of all the reckless, irresponsible- _What were you thinking! ?_" he yelled, startling the soldiers.

_There goes that vein again, _Zidane thought, watching the usual vein start throbbing on Steiner's forehead as he warmed up to the rant. _I swear, one of these days it's gonna burst._

"...stuck in a cave with no supplies or light- How on Gaia did you come to the conclusion that this was a _good idea_! ?"

Knowing this was likely to take some time, the King turned his attention to other matters, only half listening to what the knight was saying. _So, the Forest Master WASN'T dead, after all- it was merely regaining its strength. And, now that it has, it is restoring the forest- its domain -to what it once was. Amazing that it survived, though. I could have sworn that we destroyed it. Of course, it controls the entire Evil Forest. It makes sense that something that powerful wouldn't die so easily. I'm just surprised that a PLANT had that sort of back-up plan._

"...consequences never even _cross _your mind, do they! ? What would you had done if..."

_Rusty's still going strong. I guess I really made him worry this time, _the blonde thought, feeling a little guilty. _He mentioned the Plant Spiders, though. Those things literally chased us out of the forest last time, but this time they just seemed content to keep us from engaging the Forest Master again. Why? Was it because we weren't as much of a threat since it hadn't been weakened this time around? Vivi's fire magic was pivotal in that first fight... _He paused as something occurred to him, eyes widening slightly. _It didn't like Vivi's fire at all, but it kept fighting. This time, it released me and withdrew when they burned it with the torches. Does that mean...it's actually **learning**? A plant that controls an entire forest, has an elaborate 'back-up' plan to keep from being destroyed, and can actually learn from its mistakes. I'm not sure how I feel about that..._

"...first time! The Queen would be devastated! Even if you don't care about your own life, at least give _her _some consideration!"

The mention of his wife alerted Zidane that the lecture was entering dangerous waters. He threw his fists down at his sides, stamping his foot to get Steiner's attention, but the words were already pouring out of his mouth.

"..._exactly _why you can't keep a bodyguard! You're the King! Try acting like it, for once! You're not as expendable as you seem to think!"

The tirade abruptly ended, the sudden silence seeming almost just as loud. Steiner looked shocked as he realized exactly what all had passed through his lips. Zidane insisted on treating him like an equal and it was sometimes difficult to remember that they were not. And then there was the little matter that none of the soldiers were aware of Zidane's royal status, at the King's own request... The knight dropped to his knees, head bowed low in shame. "Please forgive me, Sire! I should not have said those things! I make no excuse for myself and will accept whatever punishment Your Majesty sees fit to give me!"

Zidane scowled, irritated both at Steiner's inability to keep a secret because of his emotions, and at the knight's need for penance over every little thing. _Does he honestly think I'd punish him for this? I mean, yeah, it's annoying and is going to make the rest of the training incredibly awkward, but it's not like we weren't planning on telling them eventually, _he thought, shaking his head. _Oh, get up off the floor._

A quick glance showed that the soldiers had followed their captain's lead and everyone was kneeling before the King. Zidane sighed and snapped his fingers, getting everyone's attention and motioning for them to stand. Predictably, the knights-in-training refused to meet his eyes and looked generally nervous. Turning back to the Captain, Zidane gestured for them to move on.

Steiner saluted before standing at attention, his eyes trained on the wall straight in front of him. Apparently, he was trying to make up for his lapse by acting as formal as he could. "Yes, Your Majesty. We'll move out immediately. Private Allen!" he called, turning towards the men.

Allen practically tripped over himself in his haste to get to the captain. "S-sir, yes, sir!" he stuttered, shaking as he saluted his superior.

Zidane raised an eye at the black markings that covered the soldier's back, looped under his arm and stretched out across his chest. _There has **got** to be a story there..._

**. . . **

Although the journey back through the cave had probably only taken a hour or two at the most, the awkward silence made it feel like much longer. Steiner continued to act as if he were in the royal court, treating the blonde with the utmost respect and not speaking except when absolutely necessary- which was not often. The knights-in-training were confused by the drastic change in their commander's behavior, but followed his lead; effectively ostracizing the King. They trudged along silently, glancing furtively at each other before quickly averting their eyes when they noticed the blonde watching them. Robbed of his voice, Zidane could do nothing to alleviate the tension building all around him and found himself cursing the oppressive silence.

It had been a long, trying night for everyone and the morning sun seemed to raise the moral a bit when they finally reached the mouth of the cave. Steiner glanced around at the exhausted group before approaching the King. "Sire, the men are weary," he began, bowing low. "If it pleases you, I propose we stay here for the day and let everyone rest."

Zidane rolled his eyes, irritated that Steiner was making a production out of an obvious decision. A few days ago, he would have already had the men setting up camp. Now, everything suddenly needed the King's approval before it could be done. _Of course I don't mind stopping, and you know it! I can see how tired they are just as easily as you can! _he yelled mentally, nodding his consent to the knight.

Steiner immediately set about organizing a watch (which Zidane was, predictably, not part of) and the men moved about trying to find the least uncomfortable patch of dirt to sleep on for the day. The blonde almost groaned when he noticed a few of them finding an area and then just standing there while watching him in a not-quite-discreet manner. Apparently, they weren't going to settle down until he did so first. Finding a relatively flat area next to the wall, he curled up on the floor and closed his eyes, hoping the entire situation wouldn't seem quite so frustrating once he'd had a few hours of shut-eye. He was already dozing off when someone softly clearing their throat woke him and with some effort he dragged one heavy eyelid open.

Steiner saluted sharply. "I've prepared a bed for you, Sire," he stated, motioning to a pile of ferns and grasses he had gathered. "It's hardly fit for a peasant, much less a king, but under the circumstances..."

Zidane didn't even dignify that with a mental remark. He gave Steiner a _look _that made the knight fidget, then shook his head, rolled over so that he was facing the wall and promptly went back to sleep.

**. . . **

**To Be Continued**

The next chapter will be posted on Monday. If you would like a response to your review, please sign in or leave an email address.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Zidane woke up more than a little stiff and sore. _Ow, _he groaned mentally, carefully stretching his aching muscles and sitting up. _I need to take a walk and work some of this stiffness out, _he thought, rubbing his calf. He glanced around the cave, unable to help the smile that formed at simply being able to _see _what was there. It widened into a grin as he took in the mess around him.

The makeshift tools and torches they had brought littered the floor, having been discarded wherever at the mention of setting up camp. The men themselves had done the same, simply laying down where they were standing, too tired to care about comfort. They were sprawled across the cave in a myriad of different positions, some using a comrade's leg for a pillow. Two or three were snoring quite contentedly, although Zidane couldn't quite pick out which ones.

_Throw in some chips and empty bottles laying around and it would look like the morning after a bachelor party, _he thought, grinning a little wider. _Not that I can blame them, really. They had a long day. I better let them sleep for a little longer. Besides, nature is calling. _He spied his pack across the cave, noting it had been carefully propped up against the wall next to where Allen slept. _And, I guess now is as good a time as any to see if an echo screen will fix my voice. _

Gingerly pushing himself to his feet, he silently made his way over to his pack, retrieving the item and carefully picking his way amongst the bodies to the mouth of the cave. _If it works, it shouldn't be nearly as loud out there. I'd hate to think what it would sound like in here! _He hesitated at the entrance. _Should I leave a note or something? I mean, Rusty's likely to freak again if he wakes up and I'm not here... _He shrugged and stepped into the grass. _I won't be long. I'll just take a short walk and I'll be back before they realize I'm gone._

Zidane walked for a few minutes before halting, spreading his arms and turning his face to the sky as he stepped out of the shadow of the mountain. _You know, all things considered, I wasn't down there for very long at all. But, despite that, the sun hasn't felt this good in a long time. _He stood there for a moment or two before his bladder informed him that he had more important matters to tend to. With a barely audible sigh, he continued walking.

It wasn't long before he entered the marshlands, walking a little ways into them before stopping. Figuring that, even though the cave was still in sight, he was probably far enough away to not disturb anyone, and he took the small ball he had retrieved from his pack out of his pocket and threw it at his feet. It shattered on impact, releasing a silvery sort of mist that enveloped him. Zidane breathed deeply, hoping to feel the familiar tingle in his throat that indicated the powder was restoring his voice. He frowned when there was nothing, waiting until the light mist dissipated completely before sighing. _I guess it won't be that easy of a fix after all. I'm not really surprised, but it's still a little disappointing, _he thought, watching the tall grass swaying in the gentle breeze. _I guess I'll have to find some other way to fix this._

**. . . **

Steiner was woken from his restful sleep by someone shaking his shoulder.

"Captain Steiner! Captain Steiner! Please wake up, sir!" an agitated voice called softly.

The knight opened his eyes, pushing himself to a sitting position as he focused on who had woken him. "What is it, Williams?" he asked.

"He's gone! I don't know where he went, but he's gone! I was only out of the room for a few minutes, but when I got back, he was nowhere to be seen! I'm sorry, sir, I shouldn't have left the room-" he said in a rush, but quietly, so as to not wake the other men.

Steiner held up a hand to silence him. "Slow down. Who is gone?" he asked.

"The King, sir! I was keeping watch when I thought I heard something further in the cave, so I went to check it out. I wasn't gone for more than a few minutes, I swear!"

Steiner involuntarily glanced toward the empty spot where Zidane had been sleeping. He uttered a few choice words, mentally reciting many more as he pondered this turn of events. _Where on Gaia could he have gone to? **Why** would he feel that he needed to sneak out when the soldier keeping watch had his back turned, so to speak? He certainly knows how to push my buttons, I'll give him that- is this his punishment for me? _he wondered briefly. _Although, now that the men know he is the King, I would expect him to act more in a manner befitting his station. While I admit that it is not a bad idea to earn the loyalty and even friendship of the men, they still need to know where the boundaries are. Does he still not realize that he is a King first and foremost, just as they will be knights? Sneaking out, especially as punishment for me seems an incredibly childish thing to do... _The knight shook his head, saving his musings for a more appropriate time. "Rouse the men," he commanded, rising to his feet. "We must find the King!"

**. . . **

Zidane had just finished doing his business when an anxious voice greeted him from behind, still some little distance away.

"Sire! I'm so glad I found you!" Malcolm called, hurrying towards his liege.

_What, I can't even go to the bathroom by myself anymore! ? _Zidane thought, incredulous. _I've been gone ten, maybe fifteen minutes? And Steiner's already deploying the troops! ? _He took a deep breath, fighting down the irritation surging through him. He knew why the Captain was acting like that. And, he knew what he had to do to stop it. _Unfortunately, all our paper is back at camp. But, believe me, Steiner is going to get a earful from ME for once, after I figure out how to fix this! _he promised himself, turning towards the approaching soldier.

The annoyance that he couldn't quite conceal fled from his expression as he saw the adamantoise rising up from the tall grass behind Malcolm. It was an enormous turtle, easily twice his height, if not more, and had long, curving horns branching off its head. A wickedly sharp beak more than made up for its lack of teeth, and large, flipper-like clawed feet made it seem like the creature would be better off in the ocean instead of the marshland it seemed to favor. Its tail split into five smaller sections and spread out like a fan behind it, and this particular turtle had one giant leg raised over the oblivious knight-in-training. The King's body was reacting before he could even think to warn the man, tackling the soldier and rolling to the side. They got out of the way just in time, although one of the protruding scales caught Zidane's arm, leaving a shallow slice in its wake.

While Malcolm sputtered on the ground- first shocked at the King's behavior and _then _at the enormous horned turtle he hadn't even realized was _there _-Zidane was already up and rushing to engage the monster. The blonde drew his daggers as he ran, using his exceptional agility to evade the long horn as the adamantoise tried to gore him. He latched onto it instead, sliding down and slashing at the vulnerable flesh on the neck. He only managed a superficial cut before the monster roared and tossed its head, sending him flying through the air. He landed, cat-like on his feet, some distance away and immediately began sprinting back.

The adamantoise tucked its head in close before jumping an admittedly impressive height for its size. It came back down hard and slammed its front legs down on the ground a couple times as well, as if it were throwing a huge tantrum. This caused the earth to shake and buckle under its great weight, almost making the ground ripple as if it were water on a lake. Zidane had just enough time to widen his stance and brace himself as the shockwaves reached him, barely managing to stay on his feet. Malcolm wasn't quite as lucky, the earthquake sending him tumbling across the ground.

As soon as the earth stilled, Zidane was back in motion. He rolled underneath the giant leg that came at him, swiping at the exposed tendon as he passed it. He quickly dodged as the limb was retracted, the accompanying roar telling him that he had hit the mark. _Oh, yeah, _he thought, grinning as adrenaline pumped through his veins. _It's mad now._

"Please move behind me, Sire!" Malcolm said, running forward. "I'll take care of this beast!"

Zidane would have rolled his eyes- had he not seen the muscles tightening in the adamantoise's hind legs. He tackled Malcolm again, laying on top of him as the horned turtle- in a surprising display of agility -spun around in a complete circle. Its tail ruffled the King's hair as it passed over them.

The blonde sat up, jabbing a finger into the soldier's chest before he could rise and then pointing firmly at the ground. _I can't make it any clearer than that, _Zidane thought as he jumped up and faced the monster once more. He sprinted forward again, using the leg with the injured tendon as a springboard and flipping over the horn as it came at him again. Landing a little less than gracefully on the uneven shell, he quickly moved behind the turtle's head. Laying low on the shell to avoid the swinging horns, the blonde slid down the side of the neck and delivered the killing stroke to the soft skin underneath. Unable to get out of such close quarters quickly enough, he was promptly sent flying once more as the adamantoise thrashed around in pain.

It didn't take long for the turtle to die and Zidane calmly cleaned his blades before sheathing them. He turned, located Malcolm, and walked over to him. The soldier was staring at the carcass with an undistinguishable expression on his face.

"I wasn't much help, was I?" he asked.

Zidane, predictably, remained silent.

"The only think I did was hinder you. The Knights of Pluto serve as the elite guard to the royal family." He laughed hollowly. "What good is a knight that can't protect his King?"

Zidane laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, causing Malcolm to look at him. The effect of the encouraging look was lost as the trainee saw the bloody gash on the blonde's arm.

" 'The Knights of Pluto are sworn to give their life, if need be, in order to protect the royal family,' " he recited, taking the blonde's arm and carefully inspecting the wound before pulling out some salve and bandages. "And yet, it is you who have been injured trying to protect me. I'm a disgrace!"

Zidane grabbed Malcolm's chin with his free hand, forcing the soldier to meet his gaze before firmly shaking his head. Still seeing the doubt and self-incrimination in his eyes, the blonde picked up a stick and found a patch of moist soil. Too strong, like before. Point of training, he wrote, No shame. This part he underlined twice.

When he looked back up, Malcolm was giving him an odd look. "Sire?" he asked carefully. "Can you speak?"

The King smiled and slowly shook his head, happy that someone had finally figured it out.

The trainee stared at him for a moment. "How- when did this happen?" he finally asked.

In cave, Zidane wrote.

"Before we found you?"

The blonde nodded.

Malcolm shifted his gaze to the ground, running back over everything that had happened in the cave. "You really haven't said a single word since we found you. And..._that's _why you threw your dagger instead of calling out. You _couldn't._"

Zidane tended to his arm, looking amused as the knight-in-training continued with his epiphany.

"And when Captain Steiner started yelling, you _really _looked like you wanted to say something. I guess you wanted to stop him from telling us you were the King, huh?" he asked, turning back to the blonde. "Oh, forgive me, Your Majesty. I allowed myself to be distracted. I can do that," he said, taking the bandage and carefully wrapping the wound. "But, if I may, why did you not try to let anyone know about this problem?"

Everyone only worry more. No point, Zidane wrote.

"That's true, but you losing your voice _is _something to be worried about," the rookie argued.

The blonde shrugged. Nothing can be done here.

"What do you mean by that?"

Zidane looked at Malcolm and then at the dwindling patch of dirt he had to write on. He raised an eyebrow as he lifted his eyes once more to his subordinate.

The soldier seemed to get the message. "Oh, I guess there's not a lot of room to write here."

The blonde nodded and stood up, motioning for them to return.

Malcolm stood as well, his eyes inexorably drawn once more to the carcass looming over them. "Sire, I-"

Zidane silenced him with a sharp motion from his hand. Leaning over, he used his stick to write _Sir _on the ground. Seeing the trainee's confused look, he added and 'e' to make it _Sire _and made a face. Crossing off the 'e,' he gave the rookie a thumbs-up sign.

Feeling a bit more at ease as the blonde began acting like himself once more- or, perhaps, now that the soldier had stopped viewing him as a different person -Malcolm smiled. "As you wish, _sir._"

**. . . **

"Sire! I feared something might have happened to you," Steiner said, hurrying out to meet the pair as they neared the mouth of the cave. "Would Your Majesty mind enlightening me as to why you left?"

Zidane stared at him for a moment before shrugging and leaning over to write bathroom breakin the dirt.

Steiner stared at the blonde, slight shock covering his features. _Is he actually giving me the silent treatment? _he thought, his jaw dropping slightly in disbelief. He quickly recovered himself, doing his best to make his expression neutral. _Two can play at this game. _"Please don't wander off by yourself, Sire," he requested, pouring all the formality he could into his words and stance. If the blonde wanted to be childish, the knight would fight back by throwing his royal station in his face. "Or, at the very least, don't sneak out while everyone else is sleeping. Not only is it unbefitting for the King to wander around these areas without an escort, but is dangerous, as well. Wild monsters and bandits alike roam the plains, you know."

_You have **got** to be joking, _Zidane thought, staring at the knight incredulously. _'Don't wander off by myself?' I'm probably the MOST qualified out of everyone here to do so, Rusty included! _He blinked as the accusation after the insult sunk in. _Sneak out! ? I didn't 'sneak out,' I walked! Being considerate of those around me isn't the same as slipping away unnoticed at the first opportunity! _he huffed, crossing his arms and looking decidedly put-out.

Seeing the King's expression, Steiner merely raised an eyebrow. "I see you were injured," he stated, staring pointedly at the bandaged arm.

"Uh, that was actually my fault," Malcolm piped up, looking sheepish. "Zidane pushed me out of the way-"

"The King can speak for himself, Private!" the Captain snapped, narrowing his eyes at the trainee. "And you will address him as 'sire' or 'your majesty,' is that clear?"

Zidane gestured sharply, clearly displeased.

"Uh," Malcolm began, shifting nervously as Steiner's steel gray eyes bore into his. "No, he really can't. His Majesty is currently unable to talk, sir."

There was a moment of silence as the captain just stared at him. "What?" he asked at last, obviously not having even considered this possibility before.

"Something happened in the cave before we found him," Malcolm explained.

Steiner looked at Zidane who pulled down his ruffled collar, exposing the red and inflamed skin dotted with blisters beneath it. The knight worked his jaw, opening and closing his mouth a few times as he floundered for something to say. _He's injured and I had no clue. He can't speak and I was completely oblivious. One of the most chattiest people I know hasn't said a single word since we found him, and **I didn't even notice.** And I have the **gall** to call myself a knight! ? _he berated himself before going down on one knee, head bowed low. "I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for my inexcusable behavior," he said, his voice sincerely apologetic. "I was out of line and should not have said those things. I also should have paid more attention and realized something was amiss sooner. I'm not worthy of the title Captain of the Knights of Pluto!"

Zidane covered his eyes with one hand, wondering if the man ever got dizzy from switching moods so frequently. _He's hopping mad one moment and begging my forgiveness the next. I just can't keep up with him sometimes, _he thought, shaking his head.

**. . . **

The sun was just beginning to set a few hours later as the men made it back to base camp. The sound of cooking utensils clinking together soon filled the air as the men on KP duty that night, plus a couple volunteers, eagerly got to work. Not having been ordered to bring food when they had set out, they hadn't eaten since the night before. And they were all ravenous.

Zidane sat on the cot in Steiner's tent while Wesley carefully applied ointment to his neck, as potions hadn't helped the burns. The Captain himself was reading over the written account of what had happened in the cave, plus a few extra comments thrown in here and there.

"So, it was some sort of flying monkey-lizard-like creature that attacked you," Steiner reiterated, setting the sheet of paper on his desk. "And its tail was what caused those burns?"

The King nodded.

"Does it still hurt to talk? I mean, have you tried again since it happened initially?"

Zidane paused and then winced slightly, shaking his head.

"Hm." Steiner rested his chin in his hand, thinking hard. "This does not sound like any creature I've come across before," he said at length, pacing back and forth across the tent. "Your throat doesn't seem to be damaged in any other way, so I assume that the loss of your voice was caused by some sort of toxin that was absorbed through the skin. It'll be hard to research the creature with so little to go on, though..." He stopped, turning towards them as Wesley finished tying the bandages around Zidane's neck. "Perhaps you could draw a picture of it? That might help us figure out exactly what type of creature it was."

Zidane shrugged as Wesley began cleaning up the medical supplies. Picking up the note pad next to him, the blonde carefully began sketching lines across the paper, a look of intense concentration on his face. Several minutes passed before he finished triumphantly, smiling as he handed the paper to the Captain.

Steiner took it and studied it intently. Curious, Wesley peered at it over his shoulder for a moment or two. "Uh, sir? I think it's upside down," he tentatively suggested, glancing sideways at the king before quickly averting his eyes.

"Oh." The Knight flipped the page, looking over the picture carefully once more. "Is that better?"

Wesley fidgeted, chewing his lip nervously. "Um, that doesn't look quite right, either. Maybe this way...?"

Zidane snatched the paper back indignantly. He pointed to different places on the picture and then to his head, body and tail, as if it were plain as day.

Steiner raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but it is painfully obvious that Your Majesty has never taken an art lesson."

"Captain Steiner! Dinner for you and the King has arrived, sir."

"Send it in," the Knight called through the tent door. "Wesley, you're dismissed."

The trainee's shoulders relaxed a bit at the dismissal before he saluted sharply and exited the tent, passing Brody with the trays of food. Quickly setting the trays down, Brody turned back to the door, obviously not wanting to linger. Zidane huffed in annoyance as they both beat a hasty retreat, the reason for their discomfort painfully obvious.

"Is something wrong?" Steiner asked, catching the blonde's expression.

Zidane looked at the knight before grabbing the pad of paper and turning to a blank page. This is all your fault, he wrote.

Steiner read the statement, raising one eyebrow in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

Yesterday, I was their comrade. Today, I'm a leper. He sighed, shaking his head. Most of them won't even look at me now.

The captain was silent for a moment after reading the response. "I am truly sorry," he said at length, staring down at his hands. "I allowed my temper to get the better of me and inadvertently told the men your secret. It was inexcusable, I know. I have probably lost your trust permanently and I accept that, but if there is any way for me to redeem myself-" he was cut off by the notebook smacking him upside the head.

Snap out of it, Rusty, Zidane had written. I'm too tired to deal with another one of your guilt trips tonight.

There was a pregnant pause as Steiner simply stared at his liege. The blonde had begun eating, pointedly ignoring the captain. Steiner closed his eyes, a bit of a rueful smile playing about his lips. After all, this wasn't the first time Zidane had complained about his 'penitent streak.' "As you wish, Sire."

**. . . **

The men were sitting around the fire, cleaning their plates. "That may have been the best meal I've ever had," Brody said, leaning back contentedly.

"Yeah, you'll make a great wife some day, Harris," Reever added, grinning.

"Shut up, Reever."

"So...what do you guys think? About the King, I mean," Williams asked quietly.

Thompson snorted. "I think it's a load of rubbish."

Several people blinked in surprise. "What makes you say that?" Turley asked.

"There are many reasons- his manner and appearance, for one. He dresses as a commoner right down to the type of material used for his clothing. Out here, I can understand not bringing silks or linens, but why not high quality wool? What he wears is mediocre, at best!" he scoffed. "Surely, if he were the king, he could afford something better!"

"Seriously? Is that all you have to go from? His _clothes?_" Reever asked, chuckling.

Thompson glared at him. "Of course not! The way he speaks, using slang and not enunciating his words is absolutely dreadful! The way he acts, assuming an intimate level of familiarity with people he has only just met- and commoners, at that! Even the way he carries himself betrays him- I tell you, there is not one drop of royal blood in his veins!"

"Still, I don't think Zidane would lie to us," Malcolm spoke up. "Personality aside, there's a certain level of trust that is built by fighting monsters together. You haven't gone scouting with him yet, so I don't expect you to understand what I'm talking about. But, I know that Zidane's telling the truth." Most of the others were nodding in agreement.

"But, if you'll recall, Zidane wasn't the one who told us, was he?" Thompson pointed out.

"Are you suggesting that this is some hoax that the _captain _set up?" Reever asked, skeptically. "You do realize that that means he'd have to actually _have _a sense of humor, right?"

"If you can't trust your own _captain_, then who can you trust?" Brody shook his head. "Face it, Thompson, you've got a pretty weak argument."

"I don't expect unrefined louts like _you _to understand," Thompson said, looking at them imperiously. "After all, _I _used to be-"

"-a guard in Treno, before you decided to transfer to the Knights of Pluto, we know," Harris interrupted. "You've only told us about a _hundred _times."

"Well, when you associate with the aristocracy as much as _I _have, it's easy to see the difference between those who have a noble bearing and those who simply don't."

"Alright, that's enough," Richards said, standing and stretching. "It's been a long day and the Captain said we're resuming our usual training regimen in the morning. Lights out in fifteen."

The usual grumps and grouses were a bit subdued as the men obeyed, everyone still worn out from the last two days. The mess from dinner was cleaned up, the dishes put away, and a watch was set. Despite the half-hearted complaints about the early bedtime, it wasn't long before the only lamps still lit in the camp were in the captain's tent.

**. . . **

**To Be Continued**

The next chapter will be posted on Monday. If you would like an response to your review, please sign in or leave and email address.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

After they had finished eating, Steiner and Zidane turned their attention back to the task at hand: figuring out how to restore the King's voice.

"I think you should return to Alexandria in the morning," Steiner said. His eyebrows drew together in confusion as Zidane vehemently shook his head. "Why not? There are physicians who may have treated cases like this before, and even if there are not, both General Beatrix and the Queen are highly skilled in healing magic."

Zidane was already writing out his response. I will not return to Alexandria unless there is no other choice, he wrote. Daguerreo, Conde Peite, Esto Gaza- wherever I need to go in order to fix this. But, not Alexandria until after I've searched everywhere else.

Steiner read over the answer, still looking confused. "But, why?"

Zidane tapped his pen on the paper for a moment, trying to put his feelings into words. Do you remember when Dagger lost her voice? he wrote at length. Do you remember how helpless you felt, completely useless because you weren't able to do anything to help her?

Steiner was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I remember. It was a very difficult time for her. She suffered so much in such a short time. The loss of her mother, the destruction of Alexandria on the eve of her coronation..." he trailed off before shaking his head. "But, this is an entirely different matter! Her white magic might be able to heal this!"

The potions didn't even touch the burns, Zidane pointed out. I highly doubt that healing magic, however powerful, will fix this. And, I don't want her to feel like I did when I couldn't help her. It would probably be worse for her because her white magic _is _so powerful. And, if she casts the spells only for them to do nothing... I don't want to put her through that until I'm absolutely certain that there is no other alternative.

Steiner folded his arms, staring at the floor in deep thought. "I do see your point," he conceded at last. "And, I don't wish to put Her Majesty through that, either. But, we are supposed to return to the castle in a week's time. I may be able to push it back for another week, but we will arouse suspicion if we delay any longer than that. Do you think that is enough time to find a cure?"

Zidane nodded. Choco has gotten much faster since learning to fold his legs underneath him when flying. We can hit all the major cities in a week.

"Where will you start?"

The blonde pulled out the ratty map that Regent Cid had given him years ago and looked over it carefully. _I should probably start with Lindblum, Burmecia and Cleyra and then move to the Outer Continent, _he thought, tracing his finger along the route. He paused over a black dot that had been penned in out in the middle of the ocean. _'Chocobo's Air Garden.' _There was something about that place, something that he should remember. He tapped the map pensively, trying to think what it could be.

**_"Tell me, have you heard of a place called the Chocobo's Air Garden, supposedly only accessible with a gold chocobo?"_**

_That's right, _Zidane thought, _Benthor asked about it. But, why am I remembering that now...? _he wondered. He concentrated, going back through the myriad of topics the two had discussed during his short stay with the hermit.

**_"The caves 'round here have their own brand of wicked creatures. Take those silent angels, for example...feels like their hands are on fire...and, if ya don't get away before they's done, they-"_**

_Steal your voice! _Zidane actually jerked as the memory came back to him, surprised that he hadn't remembered it sooner. _The details are way off, but everything else- the burning grip, the loss of voice -is dead on. And, he made some concoction that got Zack back on his feet in no time. Maybe he knows something about how to fix this?_

"Sire? Are you alright?" Steiner asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Zidane jumped again at the unexpected contact, so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Steiner move to his side. He shook his head to clear it before giving the knight a thumbs-up sign with an exuberant smile. We'll start just inside the Burmecian border, he wrote. Who knows? We might even get lucky.

The captain blinked at the King's sudden excitement. "We?" he queried.

Zidane gave him a look. As fun as it is to write out everything I want to say, I think it would be much faster to take someone along who can explain the situation.

Steiner raised a hand to his mouth, as if considering the suggestion. _And here I thought he'd be against taking someone with him, _he thought, using his hand to hide a smile. "A wise decision indeed, Sire. Who did you have in mind?"

I thought I'd take Zack with me. We weren't quite done with his training, anyway.

"I assume you'll want an early start?"

Zidane nodded.

"Alright. I'll let Allen know to have his gear packed- if he has even had time to unpack it, yet -and report to you at first light."

Zidane nodded again, putting a hand to his mouth to cover a yawn as he stretched. He moved toward the tent flap before darting back and grabbing the notebook. Offering a cheeky grin with a two-finger salute, he disappeared into the darkness.

**. . . **

Zidane looked through his pack again, double-checking to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything as the sun peaked over the horizon. Choco stood, more or less patiently, next to him while preening his feathers. It was a few minutes more before Zack came running up, stumbling in his haste.

"I apologize for my tardiness, Sire," he panted, dropping to one knee as soon as he had reached the blonde. "I assure you, it will not happen again."

Zidane merely pulled out notebook, writing something before handing it to the younger man. Zack accepted it, reading over it silently.

We are going to look for a way to restore my voice. You will handle most of the conversations and it is imperative that you do not give away my identity with either your words or your actions. This means, you must treat me as you did before- like a commanding officer. Not as a king. Do you understand?

Zack handed the notepad back, looking a little uncertain.

Zidane sighed and starting writing again. Just because you now know my official title doesn't mean I morphed into a completely different person overnight. Forget what Steiner said. Right now, we are merely traveling companions, working on your swordsmanship as we search for a cure for my voice, he wrote.

"Y-yes, sire," Zack stammered, still looking unsure of himself.

Zidane shook his head. 'Sir,' not 'sire,'he corrected.

"Very well then, sir," Zack amended.

Zidane grinned. We're going to have to use one of Choco's special abilities to cover more ground. Just hold on to me and you'll be fine, he wrote before climbing onto the chocobo's back.

Zack eyed a large bird a bit warily as he handed to notebook back to Zidane. _Special abilities? What does he mean by that? _he wondered, accepting Zidane's hand and pulling himself up behind the blonde.

Zidane slipped the notepad into the front of his vest and made sure his pack was secured in front of him before tapping his heels to the bird's flank. Choco started forward, turning as the blonde tugged slightly on the reigns. Clicking his tongue, Zidane pushed the bird into an easy trot, heading for a nearby forest.

It only took them a few moments to reach it and, after glancing around, Zidane led the bird to a large, sturdy looking tree. He nodded to himself before giving a high-pitched whistle while pulling back sharply on the reigns. Zack's arms tightened around Zidane's midsection convulsively as the chocobo leapt straight up into the tree, landing on one of the lower branches. He didn't waste any time in leaping to the next and the next, climbing up until there were no more branches above them. Zack bit his lip to keep from crying out as the bird leapt up into the open sky, almost unseating the rookie as it slid its powerful wings out from underneath his legs.

There were a few heart-stopping seconds before Zack realized they weren't falling, but instead rising higher into the air. Zidane looked back at him over his shoulder, cocking an eyebrow as if to ask if he was alright. Zack nodded, still feeling a little shaky but determined to not show his weakness in front of the king. Zidane grinned at him before turning back around, noting that Choco had reached what the blonde had termed his 'acceptable cruising height.'

_I wonder how far away the Chocobo Air Garden is? I'd hate to return to Benthor's without those flowers I promised him, but... _He rummaged around in his pack, pulling out a large, dried chili pepper. He leaned forward, holding it close enough for the bird to smell, but not eat. Choco immediately looked to the south, his gaze focused on something in the distance. _Oh good, it's not far then, _Zidane thought, replacing the dead pepper in the pack and urging the chocobo in that direction.

They flew over the plains and the mountain range that formed Alexandria's borders and had just started over the ocean when Zidane saw it. There was a relatively small shadow floating lazily on the waves far beneath them, seemingly caused by a small cloud- except that it was perfectly round. Carefully maneuvering until their shadow was inside the round one, Zidane pulled out the pepper again. He hesitated, glancing back at his companion. He pulled Zack's arms a bit more firmly about himself and wrapped his tail around the trainee's waist. Gripping the bird with his legs, he leaned forward and tossed the dead pepper into its open beak.

The effect was instantaneous. Choco's entire body seemed to vibrate, feathers all bristling as it let out an almost startled squawk. Then, without any warning, the bird turned and shot straight up into the air, flying higher than the clouds themselves.

Having got the message that _something _was about the happen, Zack managed to keep from screaming as the bird seemed to test the limits of the sky itself. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or not when they burst through a tiny hole and the chocobo landed on a cloud. He didn't even see the disjointed isles until Zidane directed their mount over to one, the bird almost daintily hopping up onto the rock.

Urging the chocobo away from the edge, Zidane waited for a moment before tapping Zack's hands expectantly. Zack suddenly became aware of Zidane's shallow and strained breathing, and felt the way his chest struggled to draw in air underneath the trainee's death grip. Feeling both alarmed and ashamed, Zack immediately released his hold, forcing himself to move his arms to his sides. He tried to apologize, but just couldn't quite seem to make his mouth work just yet.

Zidane took a deep breath, enjoying being able to breathe again, and slid off of Choco's back. He smiled reassuringly at Zack before moving over towards a patch of wildflowers. He carefully studied them, selecting the best and gently picking them from the rest. Once he had a decently sized bouquet, he turned back to his companion, noting the younger man hadn't moved so much as a muscle. Shaking his head slightly, he easily hopped back onto the bird and pulled Zack's arms around his waist once more. Holding the flowers in one hand, he took the reigns in his other and directed the chocobo back to the hole in the clouds. Feeling Zack tense behind him, he smiled over his shoulder apologetically, knowing the trip back was going to be worse. Even after all the trips he'd made here in the past, there was still something about flying straight towards the ground that made Zidane just a bit nervous every time. Taking a deep breath- because it would probably be his last for a while -he gripped the chocobo and urged him into the hole, Zack's scream echoing in his ears.

**. . . **

Benthor carefully plucked an oglop off his tomato plant, squashing the bug in his hands before examining the next plant for any signs of the pests. He stretched when he had finished with the row, feeling his back pop in a couple different places. Pushing himself to his feet, he shuffled on to the next row, pausing as the sound of running feet caught his attention. Turning, he saw the familiar chocobo and riders approaching his home, the blonde pulling the bird to a stop several feet from his front door.

"You boys are back sooner than I expected," he greeted, moving from the garden toward the front of his house. "Are you injured again already?"

Zidane grinned a bit sheepishly as he lightly hopped off the chocobo before helping his companion down. Zack looked a little weak in the knees and kept one hand on the bird's back to steady himself.

Once he was sure Zack wasn't going to fall over, Zidane turned back to Benthor, presenting him with the flowers.

Benthor accepted them almost reverently, looking over each bloom in turn. "I've never seen flowers like these before," he said at length. "I'm guessing these are the ones from the Chocobo's Air Garden?"

Zidane nodded.

"They're beautiful. I'm sure she'll appreciate them. Ah, where're my manners? Come in, come in," he said, ushering them inside to the kitchen table. "You're not quite looking well, lad," he said, looking Zack over with a critical eye as he pulled two glasses from the cupboard. "What happened this time?"

"Well, sir, that is, uh," Zack floundered, not quite wanting to admit to getting airsick.

Zidane rescued him, already writing out a response before handing the notepad to Benthor. The flight to the Air Garden can be a bit harrowing, especially the first time, he wrote.

Benthor raised an eyebrow as he filled the cups with lemonade. "Hm, perhaps he needs another 'pick-me-up,' like last time?" he suggested, handing them each a glass.

"No, that's quite alright- I'm fine, really!" Zack insisted, accepting the drink. He remembered quite well the horrid concoction the old man had made last time.

Zidane chuckled silently.

"And what about you?" Benthor asked, rounding on the blonde. "Your voice seemed to work well enough the last time I saw you."

Zidane shrugged, motioning to his companion with his cup. Zack nodded and explained the situation.

"Lost his voice, eh?" Benthor mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Tell me, what did this creature that attacked him look like?"

"I'm...afraid I didn't get a good look at it," Zack admitted.

Zidane flipped through the pages in his notebook, finding the explanation he'd written out for Steiner the previous night. He skimmed through it, circling the description of the beasts and handing the pad to Benthor.

"A flying monkey, covered in scales, with a really long tail? Hm, I think I've heard of those before..." he trailed off, leaning back in his chair pensively. "Did they leave burns where they touched ya?"

Zidane nodded, pulling down his ruffled collar and showing the bandages beneath.

"Ah, so it was them. I haven't seen them around in decades- didn't think there were any left, to tell ya the truth," he said, his eyes staring at the wall as he reminisced over years gone by. Shaking his head, he focused on Zidane once more. "Don't know their actual name- we just called 'fire monkeys' because of their burning touch. They seemed to like warm and dark places, usually caves, but I've seen them in dense forests too. Fortunately, you're problem can be fixed pretty easily. You ever heard of a place called the Ice Cavern?" he asked.

Zidane nodded, looking hopeful at the thought of getting his voice back.

"Well, there's a certain flower that grows in there- not near the entrance, but back in the colder areas," Benthor explained. "It looks kinda like an upside down bell, I don't quite remember the color- either pale blue or a very light lavender. Anyway, you'll want to find one that has liquid inside it, at least half-full. Drink that and you'll have you're voice back in no time!"

Zidane grinned exuberantly, clearly pleased at the ease of the task. Benthor laughed, pushing himself to his feet. "We'll, I guess you boys are wantin' to hurry on. I won't keep ya here any longer. Besides, I also have somewhere I need to go," he said, carefully lifting the flowers from the table.

Zack thanked Benthor for both of them as they old man walked them out. Choco seemed to sense their excitement and soon they were crossing the mountains, heading towards the Ice Cavern.

**. . . **

It was just after noon by the time they reached the upper entrance to the Ice Cavern. Zidane eagerly lead the way down the sloping path and past the natural hot spring.

"Where is this light coming from? I mean, we are far enough in that it should be pitch black in here, but can see as well as if we were still outside," Zack pointed out.

Zidane motioned Zack over to a wall, figuring it would be easier to show him that to try to write it out. He cupped his hands against the ice and mimed looking at it through his hands, gesturing for Zack to do so.

Although he looked a little skeptical, Zack did as he was shown. He jerked a bit in surprise, looking first at Zidane and then back at the wall. "The ice itself is glowing? But, how is that possible? What is making it glow?" he asked.

Zidane shrugged, never having looked into the phenomenon before. He continued walking, wanting to find the flower Benthor had described as soon as possible. When he had come through the cave before, he had seen only two places where flowers grew: at the lower entrance and in room where they had found the moogle encased in ice. He grinned at the memory of the irate moogle, having almost been burned by the fire magic Vivi used to set it free.

_That room was closer to this exit, _he thought, shivering slightly in the cold air as he walked. _And, if I remember correctly, this corridor branches right here- _He turned expectantly, finding a wall of ice. _You have **got** to be kidding me._

"Um, sir?" Zack said, hesitantly, "the tunnel goes this way."

Zidane was busy scrutinizing the wall, lightly tapping on it here and there. _This is just like the walls Vivi blasted with his magic, _he thought. _It's definitely this way. _He motioned his companion back, pointing at the wall.

"You want to go _through _there?"

Zidane nodded.

"But- it's solid ice! How do you even know if there's anything back there but more ice! ?"

Zidane pulled out his notebook, his fingers shaking as he scribbled out a message. I've been through here before- trust me, the room we want is on the other side of this.

"So, how are we supposed to break through it?"

Zidane turned Zack around, rifling through the younger man's pack for a few seconds. Finding what he wanted, he moved in front of Zack once more and handed him the small hammer they used to pound in their tent stakes.

Zack looked from the mini hammer to the wall of ice and back again. "You have _got _to be joking."

Zidane merely shrugged, pulling out one of his daggers and began chipping away at the wall.

For several hours, they worked. Zack had long since removed his armor, the metal leeching away precious body heat much too quickly. The various pieces had been stuffed in or strapped to the packs; the exposed areas already coated with a layer of frost. Zack had also borrowed Zidane's other dagger, using it as a chisel in any cracks he could find.

The blonde continued attacking the wall with his dagger, switching off which hand he was using as the fingers became numb and tucking it under his bare arm. They had broken through the wall some time ago and were now just working on enlarging the hole so they could fit through it.

A large chunk of ice that Zack had been working on finally broke off and he sighed, balling his hands into fists and blowing on them to warm the chilled fingers. "Do you think it's big enough, sir?"

Zidane eyed the hole thoughtfully before carefully crawling through it. He turned and helped Zack through before continuing down the tunnel.

Zack gasped as they rounded the bend, eyes wide as he stared at the chamber they found. It seemed to be almost a perfect circle, at least half of the room covered in flowers. They were very pale in color- blues and pinks and purples scattered throughout -and shimmered in the soft light from the cave. A large pedestal sat in the middle, icy vines snaking their way up its legs and around its base. The pedestal itself was covered in a variety of larger flowers, almost as if someone had picked the best and arranged them frozen bouquet. "It's...amazing," he breathed. "I've never seen anything like it before."

Zidane was already sorting through the flowers closest to him, looking for the one Benthor had described.

Zack quickly joined in, searching on the other side. It was several minutes before he saw a bloom that fit Benthor's descriptions almost perfectly. He leaned further forward, grinning when he saw the dark blue liquid resting inside the cupped petals. "Found it!" he called excitedly, plucking the flower from the ice. His grin turned to a frown when the petals buckled and sagged under the sloshing liquid, spilling it all over the floor. "Oh, uh, sorry, sir," he said, dropping the ruined flower back to the ground. "I guess they're a lot more fragile than they look."

Zidane nodded, chaffing the skin along his bare arms as he turned his attention back to the blossoms in front of him. _It gets **really** cold once you stop working, _he thought, his breath misting in the frigid air as his eyes combed over the flora. Spying a couple partially hidden beneath a few other flowers underneath the pedestal, he leaned forward and, being mindful of the petals, gently brushed the other flowers back to he could see inside the bell-shaped blooms. One had only a very small amount of nectar, but the other seemed to be about half-full. He pulled out his dagger, grasping the stem with his other hand and carefully cutting it with the blade. Holding the bloom gingerly, he pulled the other flowers out of the way while slowly lifting out the one he wanted. It took a little bit of maneuvering to get it out between the plants he couldn't grab, but he finally managed to do so without disturbing the petals. It was at that point that he noticed it had been slowly turning to crystal all the while he was working on getting it out. He actually watched as the last half of the petals hardened, taking on a harsher shine as the plant turned to rock. Curious, he tapped it against the floor a couple times, the resounding _clink, clink, clink _drawing Zack's attention. Zidane shrugged, setting the now-crystal flower on the floor as he began searching for another one. _Apparently, they fall apart if moved to quickly, yet start turning to crystal as soon as the stem is cut. This might be a bit more difficult than I thought._

It was a few minutes more before Zidane found another flower, this one also underneath several others. He sat back, blowing into his fists to warm his fingers while pondering the best way to get the liquid from the flower. Getting an idea, he stood and moved back to the hole, climbing through and digging into Zack's pack. Finding what he wanted, he rejoined Zack in the chamber, holding up a cup.

"Oh, I see," Zack said, "I guess you really only need the nectar, not the whole thing."

Zidane nodded, maneuvering the cup until it was mostly underneath the flower. Gripping his dagger tightly to help control the shaking of his other hand, he reached forward and carefully slid the blade down between two of the petals. As he had hoped, the nectar slowly drained into the cup, leaving the other petals undisturbed.

Once he had all of it, Zidane carefully moved back to a sitting position, not wanting to jar the cup too much for fear the liquid might crystallize like the other flower had. Smiling as he raised his cup slightly to Zack, he titled his head back and drank it all.

Zack watched, a bit apprehensive as Zidane shuddered violently. "Are you alright, sir?" he asked, immediately moving to the blonde's side.

Zidane didn't respond, wrapping his arms around himself and hunching over, uncontrollable tremors still running through his body. _Ooo, major brain freeze. I'm not sure that could have been colder if it was frozen solid! _he thought, clenching his teeth tightly to keep them from chattering. _As if I wasn't cold enough already! _He huddled there for a few seconds more before forcing himself to his feet. He tried to speak, to reassure Zack, but no sound escaped his lips. He scowled, shaking his head slightly. _I found the flower and I drank the juice, but Benthor didn't say it would be an instant fix. It'll either work or it won't, but in the meantime, I want to get out of here! It feels like that stuff is trying to freeze me from the inside out! _he thought, shivering as he moved to exit the room, motioning for Zack to follow.

They crawled through the hole and retrieved the packs, heading back towards the upper exit. Zack was silent, not quite sure what to say, or if he should say anything at all. He walked a pace or two behind the blonde, studying him with a critical eye. _Zidane looks like he's freezing- something I can relate to, _he thought, rubbing his arms. _Although, I guess that makes sense when you think about it. I mean, it's literally freezing in here and that nectar wasn't frozen. What's colder than ice-cold? _

Zidane stopped walking, his gut telling him he was walking into an ambush. He glanced around, trying to pin-point what exactly had caught his attention.

Zack paused behind him. "What is it?" he asked, also looking around.

Zidane's eyes widened as he realized why this situation was so familiar. "Above!" he yelled- or tried to, at any rate. It came out as more of a hoarse whisper, but the cave was quiet enough that he was easily heard. And, the fact that he _could _talk once more was reason enough to celebrate.

At his warning, however, Zack looked up and saw three short blue-skinned creatures, wearing thick fur coats and Cossack hats, perched on a higher ledge. The cave imps each held an old rusty knife and bottle with a tinted green liquid inside. Seeing they had been discovered, they leapt towards the men, holding their knives out to attack.

Zidane and Zack both jumped back, avoiding the rusty blades. "All yours," Zidane said in a stage whisper.

Zack nodded, drawing his sword. He parried a lunge from one imp and sidestepped a slash from the other, catching it in its mid-section with his heel. He drew blood as he swung his sword in a long arc, causing the third cave imp to cry out in pain and anger as the blade scored the length of its arm. He caught another strike with the knife against his sword, noting the injured imp seemed to be vigorously shaking the bottle it held in its other hand. The first creature broke the contest of strength by jumping back suddenly as the second came forward, hoping to catch the knight-in-training off-balance. Their timing was perfect, but Zack's reaction time was better. He stepped forward as the cave imp leapt back, using his momentum to complete the low swing. The second imp walked right into the blade, falling to the floor almost completely cut in half.

Seeing movement from the corner of his eye, Zack spun to face the monster, bringing his sword up to ready position. However, his blade did very little to block the green liquid that the injured imp had thrown at him. He instinctively closed his eyes as it splashed his face, tasting the bitter liquid where it had seeped into his mouth. He quickly wiped it off with his sleeve, spitting what little had reached his mouth on the ground. He looked back at his opponent, blinking slowly as the cave seemed to start spinning around him. He tried to taken a step forward, staggering to the side before collapsing on the frozen ground. His limbs felt unbelievably heavy and an incredible weariness washed over him. He struggled against it, trying almost desperately to keep his eyes open. It proved to be in vain however, eyes sliding shut as his cheek came down to rest on the icy floor. Zack had fallen asleep.

The injured imp cackled shrilly as it raised its rusty knife over the unconscious swordsman. It quite suddenly found Zidane's dagger buried in its chest, the laugh turning into a gurgling cough as it fell onto its back, dead. Its companion shrieked angrily, shaking up its own bottle as it rushed the blonde. Zidane flipped back out of the way as it tried to throw the sleeping juice on him. He landed on his feet and sprinted forward, bringing his other dagger up in a quick motion. The cave imp tried to evade, but Zidane was faster and the creature soon joined its friends on the icy floor.

Retrieving his blades and wiping them clean, he moved over to his trainee, shaking his shoulder roughly. "Zack," he called, his voice a bit louder than before. It now sounded like he was getting sick and losing his voice. "Zack, you need to wake up. I _really _don't want to stay here any longer than I have to!"

Zack dragged his eyelids opens, looking like he was come out of a drugged stupor. "Wha...?" he slurred, blinking as he tried to focus on Zidane's face.

Zidane shook him again as his eyes started to drift shut once more. "Come on, you have to shake it off," he urged, not allowing him to go back to sleep. "Trust me, you really don't want to take a nap in here."

With Zidane's assistance, Zack was finally able to throw off the effects of the unnatural sleeping potion. "What happened?" he asked, still a bit disoriented.

"Cave imps like to carry around what they call 'sleeping juice.' One of them doused you with it pretty good," Zidane explained, his voice almost back to its normal pitch, although it still sounded a bit scratchy.

Zack seemed to realize for the first time that Zidane was no longer mute. "You can talk! You got your voice back!" he exclaimed. "That's wonderful!"

"Tell me about it," Zidane readily agreed. "I had no idea not being able to talk would be so inconvenient!"

"I would imagine so," Zack agreed. "So, where to now?"

"Ultimately, back to camp. Rusty will want to know that we found the cure," he said, picking up his pack. "But first, I just want to get out of here- I'm _freezing!_" he exclaimed, shivering for emphasis.

Zack shouldered his pack as well, grinning. "No arguments there, sir."

**. . . **

**To Be Continued**

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	7. Chapter 7

**Epilogue**

The men were all gathered around the campfire, massaging aches and pains after a hard day training under Captain Steiner. The mood was less than jovial as Thompson tried to continue the argument from the previous night.

"Look, when you get right down to it, it doesn't matter who he is," Richards said tiredly, shaking his head. "The Captain said he's the King, so we have to treat him like the King until the Captain says otherwise."

"Or the General," Turley added. He shuddered. "I'd hate to get on her bad side."

"Ah, yes, the feared General Beatrix. I wonder how much truth there are to the rumors. I mean, she didn't look all that tough to me," Reever stated.

"Clearly, you've never gone down to the training room early in the morning," Williams said, tossing a stick into the fire. "I've seen her spar- she could slaughter the Captain any day. Heck, I'm not even sure _Zidane _would fare much better against _her_."

"Is he really that skilled a fighter?" Thompson asked.

"Yesterday he killed a- I don't even know what it was. It looked like a giant turtle with horns. It was so big, I could probably stand inside its mouth. Came up out of nowhere in the marshlands. He took it out like it was nothing," Malcolm said, shaking his head. "I tried to help, but just ended up being more of a hindrance than anything, I think."

"The _King _slew it by himself?" Thompson asked, looking disgusted. "That's almost..._barbaric._"

Several of the younger trainees surged to their feet, obviously intent on defending Zidane's reputation. "I suggest you watch your tongue, Thompson," Richards cautioned, a warning hand and a stern glance keeping the younger soldiers where they were. "Lest it pick a fight you cannot win."

"I don't care what you say, Zidane saved my life!" Malcolm said heatedly. "I would have been killed if he hadn't pushed me out of the way, and he even got injured himself in the process!"

"Well, that settles it," Thompson said, smirking. "We are training to be bodyguards for the royal family, willing to lay down our lives to keep them from harm. What sort of king would throw himself in harm's way to save a mere guard?"

"How about the kind that would very much like to see said trainee _live _to become a knight?" a new voice piped up.

They turned to the new speaker and Wesley almost fell off the log when he realized the King had not only joined their group, but sat next to him without his noticing. There were various stammered apologies and a number of the men went down on one knee.

"Sire, I apologize for Thompson's rash words," Richards said, bowing his head low. "He was way out of line."

"Aw, not you too!" Zidane groaned. "It's bad enough that I can't get Rusty to stop doing that! We're out in the middle of nowhere, guys! Right now, I'm just a commanding officer, alright?" He motioned for them to resume their seats. "Save all the formality for formal occasions. Out here, we can have a more casual atmosphere."

Several confused looks were exchanged as the men cautiously moved back to their seats. Although they tried to look relaxed, the air was thick with tension and uncertainty.

"Since you prefer a 'more casual atmosphere,' perhaps you wouldn't mind clearing up a few things?" Thompson asked, ignoring the warning glare from Richards.

"Shoot," Zidane said, putting his arms behind his head as he leaned back against the log.

"The others speak quite highly of your...expertise with your daggers," he said, carefully. "If you are so skilled a fighter, why do you require protection from the Knights of Pluto?"

"A fair question. Let me ask you this: Beatrix once killed 100 men by herself. Why, then, does she need the rest of the army to back her up?" There was a pause before the blonde answered. "It's because a single person is capable of making mistakes, getting tired or just simply being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. That's harder to do with several people on the lookout for trouble."

"Speaking of General Beatrix," Allen spoke up, ignoring the glare from Thompson, "Williams thinks that she can beat the Captain, hands down. Do you think she can beat you, too?"

"Well, she _has _had the honor of kicking my butt on three separate occasions," Zidane remarked, dismissively. "That was a long time ago, though. I'm actually not sure how a fight between us would end, nowadays..." he trailed off, contemplatively.

"She _beat _you! ?" Malcolm repeated, his mind replaying the ease with which Zidane had dispatched the adamantoise. "Were you going easy on her, sir?"

Zidane laughed. "No way! I was fighting for my life! I'm actually lucky she _didn't _kill me!" He shook his head, still chuckling. "Let's just say, you _really _don't want to get on her bad side!"

While the other men were busy digesting that bit of information, Thompson took control of the conversation once more. "Why do you dress and act so much like a, for lack of a better term, peasant?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Can you think of a better way to blend in?" Zidane countered. Seeing the confused look, the blonde elaborated. "I don't like to be stuck in the castle all time. But, I also don't like the armed entourage that escorts the king any and everywhere outside the castle walls- and I do mean _everywhere_." He shook his head before continuing. "So, I came up with an alternative. It's not safe for the king to go anywhere without an escort. But, a mere commoner can come and go as he pleases, without arousing suspicion. The only trick is getting the act down pat. I have to change the way I speak, the way I dress, even the way I move. It can be a pain at times, but the freedom gained is incredible. And, it's completely safe- as long as the disguise is perfect."

"Perhaps it's a little _too _perfect," Thompson murmured quietly.

Zidane's sharp ears caught the remark and the stared at soldier for a moment, feeling the tension becoming even thicker. Everyone seemed to be waiting to see what he would do, obviously afraid that Thompson and his belligerent attitude had crossed the line. _Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to give them a demonstration of 'King Zidane,' _he thought, pushing himself to his feet. Brushing the dirt and twigs from his clothes, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, centering himself. He mentally put on his crown, switching his mindset from a carefree commoner to a member of the royal class.

The men watched as the blonde seemed to transform before their very eyes. He drew himself up to his full height, even the most minute of gestures now portraying a sort of regal grace. His face became completely expressionless; a blank mask that fully concealed whatever thoughts lay beneath. He opened his eyes, the warm orbs suddenly aloof and distant as his gaze passed over them, as if for the first time. His very presence seemed to change, the friendly aura shifting to one of quiet, but commanding, power. He suddenly looked very out-of-place in the commoners' tunic and trousers he wore.

He raised one elegant eyebrow as Thompson's jaw almost hit the ground, apparently astounded by the drastic change. Richards was the first to stand, solemnly unsheathing his sword and laying it reverently on the ground as he knelt before the King. Bowing his head, he recited the oath taken to join the Knights of Pluto, again swearing his fealty to the crown. One by one, the others followed suit, each drawing his weapon and respectfully laying it on the ground before kneeling and repeating the oath.

Thompson was last, still gaping at the blonde. A friendly elbow to the shin brought him out of his stupor and he, too, laid his sword before him. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty," he said, bowing as low as he could. "I have allowed myself to be blinded by pride and have behaved in a manner most unbefitting a knight. This...is inexcusable." He kept his head down, deeply ashamed and somewhat horrified by his actions, especially after having been told that this was the king. He knew his punishment would not be light.

Zidane was silent for a moment, as if contemplating what the sentence for this offense should be. "Tis foolishness to take offense at so trivial a thing," he said at length. "Circumstances allow a bit of leeway in this particular situation."

Thompson's head jerked up, startled by the King's words. "But, Sire-"

Zidane held up one hand, forestalling the argument. "I was introduced as a comrade and expected to be treated as such. It was an oversight on the Captain's part that revealed my identity prematurely, and I did a poor job of living up to the expectations of a king, hoping instead to salvage the relations with my future knights. It is only natural that you would doubt me." He paused, catching and holding Thompson's gaze. "However," he continued, "Lieutenant Richards was correct. What your Captain tells you needs to be treated as an order until he, or someone of higher rank, says otherwise." He waited for a moment, letting the words sink in before going on. "If Captain Steiner approaches you with a talking oglop at his side and tells you it is the Regent of Lindblum, then you had better drop to your knees and give him a proper greeting," he stated, voice completely serious although there was a ghost of a smile playing about his lips.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Thompson replied, bowing even lower.

"Tell me something, Thompson. Are you more comfortable around me as a king or as merely a superior officer? Be truthful now," Zidane said, folding his arms as he gazed down at the soldier.

"I, uh, that is, um-"

"It is alright, your hesitation is answer enough," Zidane stated, a slight smile gracing his face. "Royalty can be quite daunting to those not accustomed to associating with the higher classes. That is one of the reasons why I chose to conceal my true identity. I guess it's just as well you prefer me like this, though," he said, flopping down on the ground and casually slinging his arms over the log behind him. He hid a grin as the men visually started at the instant change from royalty back to commoner, focusing his gaze on Thompson. "Because, if I remember correctly, you're next in line to go scouting with me."

"Uh, yes, Sire, I believe that is true."

"No, no, no," Zidane said, shaking his head. "Out here, it's just 'sir,' remember? Save the 'sire' and 'your majesty' for the court."

"Yes, Sire."

"Oh man, I can see I'm gonna have my work cut for me with this one," the blonde commented to no one in particular. He stood up, glancing briefly to where he could hear some of the other men quietly placing bets on how long Thompson would last. He chuckled, glad that the tension in the air seemed to have finally dissipated. "Alright, Rookie," he said, grinning as he turned back to Thompson, "get your gear together tonight and we'll leave at first light. Steiner says you've made some progress, but still have a long way to go." He rubbed his hands together eagerly, the flickering light from the fire almost making his grin seem a bit malicious. "I'll make a knight of you yet."

**. . . **

**The End**

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